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Nick Swisher has left the building, Sox fans.

A stop-and-go offensive performance that led to a hook from the everyday lineup created a rift between ‘Swish’ and Ozzie Guillen that neither side appeared willing to patch up. Coupled with the fact that the two positions Swisher plays - first base and centerfield - are occupied by either a high-priced veteran or being competed for by younger, faster players, and he’s on his way to the New York Yankees as the proverbial odd-man-out.

Swisher didn’t endear himself to his manager as he moped in the clubhouse during a second-half freefall that saw him hit just .191 after the All-Star break. Whether that created a bad atmosphere in the Sox clubhouse is impossible to say, so let’s just assume that all things being equal, the trade was made because the Sox figured they could do better. But why sell so low? In exchange for a guy who they valued at two high-ceiling prospects (Ryan Sweeney & Gio Gonzalez) they acquired the sequel to Juan Uribe, Wilson Betemit, and a pair of low-rent minor league pitchers.

As a fan it’s hard to know what I should think of this trade because I’ve always been trying to take Kenny’s opening moves of the offseason as a read on what to expect from him as we move towards the winter meetings. Last year’s November acquistion of Orlando Cabrera signaled his desire for stronger top-of-the-lineup hitting and defense on the left side, perfectly inline with his 72-90 team’s deficiency. But right now, between dealing Swisher essentially for spare parts one year after getting him in exchange for vital engine materials and once again signing a hot Cuban prospect at third base, I’m not sure if even Kenny knows what kind of team he needs to put together in the wake of a 89-win championship season.

How did they do that?

No, seriously, I want an explanation. How the f&*k did they just do that?

Three straight elimination games. Three different opponents. A clubhouse seemingly divided against itself with a manger who can’t even really be accused of running the asylum since he’s basically one of the inmates. A team that managed to cough up a 2.5 game lead with six to play. A team that couldn’t beat a pair of tomato can pitchers thrown out by the Cleveland Indians Friday and Saturday. A team without it’s best hitter, best third baseman, pitching a young lefthander on short rest for the first time in his career.

A team that’s going to the playoffs. Your 2008 AL Central Champions, against all the odds…

Bring on Tampa.

Let’s address Irrational Fear #1 right off the bat: everybody breathe. The sun is going to come up tomorrow.

As for the rest of the 2008 AL Central Race, let’s just say the shocking third-act twist has occurred and only if the writer’s are REALLY bold and decide to pen another will the suspense last.

Call me a liar if you must, but the worst I ever felt during this series was actually AFTER the Sox had gotten a 6-1 lead. I couldn’t help but surrender to those thoughts in the deep, dark, nagging corner of my brain that remember all the pain and heartache already inflicted on the Sox over the past seven years inside the Metrodome. I couldn’t put to bed the horrifying thought: “This is what Minnesota does. They lull things down, they spot you runs, but they just nibble and gnaw and scrap and don’t ever go away.” What happpened next? Well, you can read about it here if you like doing the sports equivalent of stabbing out your own eyes while simultaneously punching yourself in the nuts repeatedly.

I wish I could boil it down to something simple, something plain and quantifiable like, “The Twins just have an incredible lineup” or “The Sox have a horrible bullpen” and just leave it at that. But the Twins should’ve rolled in that type of circumstance; instead the combined score over the last two days was 10-8 as the Twins continued to race their way around the HHH basepaths (and got a couple of timely assists from second and third base umpire Alfonso Marquez). And if it were the kind of performance that came from nowhere, from a team clinging desperately to its playoff chances, I could live with that. But this happens routinely, always to the Sox and always at the Metrodome. Of the 8 games the Sox lost in that building this year, five were by two runs or less. Three times, including tonight, they blew leads of four runs or more. Bottom line: if it’s close against the Twins in their home park, pray for the worst, but expect the absolutely f&*kin’ disastrous.

Umpiring Sidenote: I do not subscribe to the theory that any officiating decision can single-handedly change the outcome of a ballgame, no matter how egregious or influential it might seem (Doug Eddings included). So don’t just cop-out and assume a different final outcome (no matter how badly you want to) had Marquez made the correct call on Wednesday and called Carlos Gomez out at second base on the pickoff throw, which is what he was - out. Picked off. Orlando Cabrera had the ball in his glove and his glove on Gomez’s back well ahead of Gomez making any sort of physical contact with the base. Gomez was out. Instead he was called safe, moved up on a walk and scored what went on to be the decisive third run on a ground ball to second. But even if he’s called out, who’s to say Mark Buehrle, suddenly feeling more secure after picking a runner out of scoring position, doesn’t serve up a meatball which Joe Mauer clubs for a three-run homer? So I don’t blame Marquez for the Sox being beaten on Wednesday (or on Thursday, when he called a Denard Span double fair despite the ball landing in foul territory, or when he rung up Nick Swisher for swinging when he quite clearly did not…that latter call was so bad even Twins announcer Bert Blyleven called bulls&*t on it.) Even umpiring that’s bad can’t unilateraly determine how the game plays out. That doesn’t change the fact that Marquez was wrong. Moving on…

The Sox only recourse now is to win the remaining games. They have to pretend Minnesota and it’s Chinese Water Torture offense don’t exist for the next four days. Everything has to be about beating Cleveland tonight, then again on Saturday, then on Sunday. Then, if necessary, 100% focus must turn to beating Detroit on Monday. And, should it come to pass, on Tuesday, they can allow Minnesota to exist again for a possible one-game playoff. If you had to gauge my feelings on the Sox making the postseason…what’s the polar opposite of optimism? Pessimism just doesn’t quite seem to do the trick.

Clayton Richard. Well, at least for tonight.

There was wild speculation who would be taking the mound tonight. There were a few murmurs about Aaron Poreda and his blazing fastball, but he is still in AA and has yet to master a secondary pitch. Lance Broadway was optioned to Charlotte for bullpen help in Oakland and could not be recalled until 10 days had passed. Ozzie decided Clayton would be the man, though he hardly gave him a ringing endorsement: “Richard. That’s it. Don’t ask me why. Richard,” Guillen said. “Richard’s the pitcher [Tuesday], and hopefully this time he does better.”

He had shown promise in previous starts, but was hit hard the second and third time through the order. Opposing batters were hitting .346 their second look and an astronomical .667 the third time. Clayton backed up that solid inning of work in Oakland, Sunday with a huge performance tonight. Matched up against a future CY Young candidate in Felix Hernandez, the rookie had his work cut out for him and he answered the bell. The Mariners put the heat on early with a single by Cairo after Ichiro reached on Clayton’s throwing error, but he worked his way out of trouble. Swisher picked up his young pitcher with a great on a hard grounder to first, stepping on the bag and fired home to beat Ichiro for a double play. He worked a 1-2-3 second and the offense would give him the only run he would need when Griffey hit a sac fly to score Thome, who led off the inning with a double. Richard was not spectacular, but he showed good life on his fastball on his way to six shutout innings and his first Major League win.

What does that mean for the 5th starter spot from here on out? Maybe nothing as the Sox have the next three Thursdays off that could allow Ozzie to skip this spot in the rotation in the upcoming weeks. Even if we have to use a five man rotation Broadway and Richard have not done anything recall the nightmare of the 5th starter of years passed. There will be no Arnie Munoz or Felix Diaz taking the ball and sending Sox fans running for cover. Lance Broadway battled his way to a win last time out and did not take his demotion to heart as he won in Charlotte tonight behind five strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

The Sox remain in first place and look like they may be playing their best baseball of the season. If not for a bullpen collapse in Oakland in the first game of the season, they would be riding an 8 game winning streak. They extend their high water mark to 19 games above five hundred and maintain their one game lead in the division. It is encouraging to see the offense keep hitting the ball hard coming home from Oakland avoid scoring droughts that plagued the lineup earlier this season following high scoring games. Swisher especially, who has homered in back to back nights.

As the Sox welcome in the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, the Twins head out on a fourteen game road trip, with the first eleven on the west coast. The division could very well be decided in the next three weeks as for the first time all season, it seems like the offense and rotation are hot at the same time.

If you love scoreboard watching, wild swings in momentum, the essence of Jim McKay’s “thrill of victory and agony of defeat”, then we here in the AL Central say, “Have we got a division for you!”

In the trailer for what will hopefully be another solid Coen Brothers comedy, Burn After Reading, JK Simmons (Hollywood’s go-to “gruff yet clueless authority figure” actor) instructs his CIA charges: “We don’t really know what anyone is after…report back to me when it…I don’t know…when it makes sense.” That’s how I feel in attempting to recap all the various angles that were in play Tuesday night in two ballparks for two teams that seemed headed in completely opposite directions just 48 hours ago. Now they’re back on the parallel track which is probably going to take them all the way to Game 162 with the issue still in doubt.

One of the key themes for the Sox up to this point in 2008 has been a failure to seal the deal during close, back-and-forth games, the kind of tightly-contested games you have to win the lion’s share of in order to be a championship club. They’ve been miserable at doing so on the road, with three of their last six performances outside Chicago perfectly demonstrating how and why there should be no expectation of an easy cruise to the division title. Then there was the fracas that broke out in Sunday afternoon’s lost cause of a game versus Kansas City, a game where every member of the Sox seemed to retreat with the exception of Ozzie Guillen, who got served his inevitable (and not open to appeal) suspension for post-game honesty.

So that brings us to Tuesday night. On an impossibly muggy evening after two days of constant rain and lightning storms in the thick of summer, Sox starter Gavin Floyd didn’t have the comfort zone he took into his last start at Minnesota, walking Curtis Granderson and throwing a homer to Placido Polanco before recording an out. Down 2-1 in the fifth Floyd lost his control for good, and when the inning ended Detroit led 6-1. Little did we know that the “fun”, such as it was, hadn’t even really started at that point.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, Scott Baker was running into trouble in the form of Raul Ibanez, who has been to the Twins staff in the first two games of that Seattle series was Justin Morneau was to the Sox last week. At 6-1 Tigers and 4-2 Mariners, with Detroit having broken into an incredibly shaky bullpen by the fifth inning, you’re just hoping both scores hold so no ground is lost in the divisional race.

That’s when Paul Konerko steps up and finally demonstrates how to drill a pitch from Nate Robertson, who’s been nothing short of dreadful against every other team in the league but was on his way to a third-straight dominating effort against the Sox. 6-4. With the Mariners having stretched their lead to 6-3 and threating to add more in the sixth, thoughts dangle that perhaps there’s a game to be gained here, if only you can reach that Tiger pen.

Carlos Quentin built the case for hope a little more with a long fly that scraped past the outfield wall. 6-5. One inning later Alexei Ramirez absolutely ropes one into the Sox bullpen. Tie game, and with Minnesota trying to come back out west, both games have turned into a battle of wills that could have long-lasting ramifications. The innings begin to fade away, one after the other, as that same unreliable Sox bullpen is mounting what might be looked back on as their last stand. Octavio Dotel had a Joba Chamberlin moment in the 10th after striking out Ryan Raburn - and speaking of impressions, right around that same moment 2000 miles away, when Seattle nearly had the game busted wide open, Carlos Gomez pulled his best Torii Hunter impersonation to keep the game within reach. Sparked by the flash of leather, the Twins put four on the board in the top of the eighth for a 7-6 lead. At this point I’ve stopped trying to do some internal divisonal standings math and wondering what’s transpired that these two games began two hours apart yet are on track to finish at the exact same time?

By now the Sox bullpen is drawing the line in the sand and marching bravely toward their doom. Surely it must have occurred to them after the 7th or 8th consecutive scoreless inning, at which point we’re in the 13th on the Southside and Joe Nathan has come in for a five-out save with two on in StarbucksTown; it’s a sad truth that no cavalry will be coming over the hill to save them. Right?

Sure seemed like it when Polanco finally broke the dam against Matt Thornton, who was into his fourth inning of work, with another two-run blast just inside the foul pole for an 8-6 lead. Now here comes Joel Zumaya, who’s been anointed the third Tigers closer in as many weeks, to save the game, help Detroit claw back into the divisional race, and put an exclaimation point on the last three dismal weeks for the Sox.

At least it won’t come at great expense, I think, as I click over with MLB Gameday to see Jose Lopez touched Joe Nathan for double and the M’s are up 8-7. Maybe there’s a little magic left here.

Cabrera singles, Quentin shoots one down the line to put runners at 2nd & 3rd. A cue-ball shot from Jermine Dye rolls towards Edgar Renteria. A run’s gonna score, but there will be two out because Renteria makes this play in his sleep.

Only he doesn’t. It glances off his glove and it’s 8-7 with two-on, one-out. Zumaya overpowers Jim Thome and the last line of defense is Nick Swisher, a guy with many of the same holes in his swing that the aging Big Jim has.

At this point I’ve just sorta surrendered to the lunacy of it all and find myself like Gene Wilder while watching Augustus Gloop get sucked into the chocolate river: “The suspense is terrifying! I hope it lasts!” Which it will, because another quick check shows Justin Morneau is on base with Jason Kubel, already having hit two home runs tonight, due up.

2-1 count on Swisher. Then a high, arching drive into the deepest part of the field. Can The Ballpark Formerly Known as Comiskey hold it? And the whisper comes back, “No”. 10-8 victory.

But wait, there’s more! Putz now is working with the bases loaded and Mike Redmond at the dish while protecting the slimmest of margins. If this were a Sox game, you know Redmond would just do what he always does, swing like a Little Leaguer yet somehow make contact with the ball and send a little grenade into center that falls into the 18-inch zone where neither the second baseman, shortstop, or center fielder have a chance to catch it. But this is Seattle so he lines one to Ichiro to end the game.

Maybe in a few days or weeks both teams will look back on tonight and the outcomes of the respective see-saw affairs as one of “those” moments. But if the Sox drop four of the next five while the Twins take four of five, does it really amound to much? Who can know what’s going to happen day by day around here? All I can say with confidence is that literally everything about tonight’s game countered the notion that the Sox are too lacksaidaiscal to match the high-energy Twins in the race for this Theater of the Absurd known as the AL Central. That was the definition of fighting back out on the field tonight.

As mentioned in the August 1st episode, the best way to make the show better - and anybody who’s ever listened knows that there’s always room for improvement - is to hear from you guys, the Sox fans, about what works and doesn’t, what should be featured more and what new stuff should be added. In that spirit, we at the CSN are asking everyone that has a couple minutes to write a review of Soxcast in iTunes. Whether it’s positive or negative, and whether you’ve been listening for years or to your first episode today, we would very much appreciate your feedback in iTunes. Our goal is to have 100 reviews by the end of the season, and as of today there are just 16 - let us know what you think!

Anybody who’s ever watched a White Sox-Twins game in the HHH Metrodome knows what it means to stand on the side of the road as a horrific car crash you were able to predict 20 minutes beforehand unfolds in agonizing slow motion directly in front of you.

Too reactionary?

It’s one game on July 31, but it sure felt like a lot more. It always does when you’re playing the Twins and the type of lunatic scenarios like the one which unfolded in the 7th inning of tonight’s game help spark a meltdown that would make the China Syndrome seem like a minor slip-up. After a series like this you can’t do a whole lot other than just tip the cap and sigh that, no matter what the stakes or situation, the Twins don’t quit. That was evidenced when their manager threw a 100% undiluted hissy fit and got himself thrown from the game over a play in which no out was recorded, no runs were scored, and ultimately the batter in question reached first base anyway.

After stalling the Twins on Wednesday behind a sharp performance from Gavin Floyd and key power hitting from Carlos Quentin and Alexei Ramirez, the Sox were getting exactly what they needed from John Danks heading into the bottom of the 5th inning, and piecing together some timely hits for a 4-0 lead. You may recall that on Tuesday this exact same script was unfolding while left-hander Clayton Richard was on the hill. Thursday’s performance had an identical ending.

The key sequence in tonight’s game came in the bottom half of the 7th inning, with an incorrect “swing” call on Denard Span’s bunt attempt as he was hit by an inside pitch. The misjudgment was all it took to set off the raging mound of fury that is Ron Gardenhire. After futile efforts to plead his case gave way to an incoherent ramble of profanities, he punctuated the performance by tossing his cap in disgust; by this point the Twins faithful were sufficiently motivated to litter their blessed little FieldTurf with caps and balls, triggering Ozzie Guillen’s more primal instincts as his instantly recalled his team to the dugout and got into more than one verbal spat with fans hanging just over the first-base line. Ordinarily I would just sit back and wait for order to be restored in a situation like this. “Both teams are letting off a lot of steam but things will settle back in,” I’d tell myself. Not against the Twins. Not now, and not the seemingly 72 other times in the last five years when s&*t like this has routinely happened to presage a Twin comeback in a game the Sox absolutely had to win. I muttered to nobody in particular, “Minnesota’s gonna score at least 3 runs this inning.”

They scored 4.

The Sox closed back within 7-6 on a Jermaine Dye homer before the weakest links of what is now undeniably a fading bullpen allowed three more runs (aided in no small part by the fact that Nick Swisher cannot play first base. You want to know ultimately why I oppose benching Paul Konerko? The reason was on display tonight with Swish’s attempt to show “range” on the right side of the infield. Does he think he gets extra points for falling down on his rear end after failing to catch the ball?).

It was gonna take a real whopper in tonight’s game to turn the news that the Sox acquired Ken Griffey, Jr. into an afterthought, but (as they always do) the Twins and their voodoo-powered ballpark didn’t disappoint. The Sox can do two things for this point on: dwell on two blown leads in three nights against the Twins, or turn their attention to beating the Royals. I’d love to be able to say confidently what might happen next, but at this point I think everybody knows what a pointless declaration that would be.

Fair warning to all baseball pundits, regardless of team allegiance: he who attempts to declare that he has the AL Central “figured out” does so at his own peril.

Monday’s crucial series opener between the Twins and White Sox, who stood just 2.5 games apart in the standings, did confirm a few things that have long been status quo for anybody who follows the White Sox:

A) The Sox do not play well in domes.
B) The Sox really, really, really don’t play well in the MetroDome.

The 2008 AL Central race has, up to this point, been a complete blueprint for what life will one day look like through the looking glass (or inside the Matrix, take your metaphorical pick). Up is down. Black is white. The guy who’s been on a roll for two straight months and has 9 years of big league experience and a World Series ring gets taken deep by a rookie with a name that would make a good alias for a minor member of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. It’s what happens after everybody has it figured out that counts.

As mentioned in Monday’s episode of the podcast, it wasn’t until after I saw how much the pitching matchup for Monday’s game would “supposedly” favor the Sox that I began to get that gnawing, abysmal feeling in the pit of my stomach that surfaces every time the Sox play a critical game in Minnesota. Coming into this game, Mark Buehrle had been 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA in his last 10 starts. For his career against the Twins he was a stellar 21-11 (his most wins against opponent) and has been one of the few successful Sox pitchers in Minneapolis (10-5 career mark). Opposing him was Kevin Slowey, his dominant run of late June a fading memory as he allowed 15 runs in his last 14 innings to go with a finger injury that pushed back another start. Oh, and did we mention he was 0-2 with a 12.38 ERA against the Sox in two starts this season?

So naturally Buehrle got tagged for a pair of two-run homers by Justin Morneau and Denard Span, two left-handed hitters (lefties had only 3 HR against Mark all season) while Slowey threw a complete game shutout. You decide what it means. All I know is it gives me a lot of comfort seeing as how the deck is now “supposedly” stacked in Minnesota’s favor tomorrow with Glen Perkins matched against Clayton Richard, who’ll be making his second major-league start.

I know it would have been nice to finish off the Tigers with a sweep, but we just took two out of three from a team that had been raking. Watching Dye hit that home run off Todd Jones on Friday night reminded me of AJ walking off in 2005 against the Dodgers. The dead silence of the Comerica crowd was music to my ears as JD touched home plate and a real closer by the name of Bad Bobby Jenks got loose in the pen. I am not ready to bury Detroit just yet, but this is turning into a two horse race.

The sox enter the Baggie Dome with a 2.5 game lead after Minnesota went 2-4 on their road trip. This is as big a four game series in July can be, but regardless how it plays out there is plenty of baseball left to be played. The Sox have been on top of the AL Central since May 16th, but the team’s inconsistencies can make you forget that sometimes. The last time we met the Twins we came out of an offensive slump for a ridiculous outburst in a sweep that was over before Minnesota knew what hit them. I highly doubt the Sox will duplicate that performance, but on paper it looks like we have some good matchups as the Sox are throwing three left handers and the Twins are hitting 20 points lower against south paws.

The Twins are going with Kevin Slowey tonight who has won 3 out of his last 4, but the Sox have roughed him up for 14 hits and 11 runs in 8 innings this season. Chicago counters with Mark Buehrle who is 6-2 with a 1.76 era over his last nine starts. “This is one of the better stretches I have been on in my career for this amount of time,” said Buehrle who enjoys a 21-11 life time record versus the Twinkies. Advantage White Sox

Game two features Glen Perkins, a young lefty destined to give the White Sox fits, but the Sox did drop the Piranhas 7-5 in his June 9th start. Taking the hill for the Southsiders will be Clayton Richard who was praised by Ozzie Guillen after his first start. He struck out seven, but only lasted 4 innings. Advantage Twins

Game three will pit the young Gavin Floyd against the crafty veteran, Livan Hernandez. Livan has been finding ways to win despite an era of over 5, but Floyd is 2-1 versus the Twins this season and has a sparkling 2.11 era. Advantage White Sox

In the Finale, we will watch two good young pitchers square off in the form of John Danks and Scott Baker. Danks has struggled of late and has had trouble with the Twins, carrying an era of just under 9 in three starts this season. Baker on the other hand won his only start versus the Sox and has an era of 3 in July. Advantage Twins.

Chances are this series will be a split and another four games come off the schedule with the Sox still in first place, but the dome has been a house of horrors in the past. To quote King Leonidas, “Tonight We Dine In Hell!” I hope our boys are hungry.

The one thing you can count on in sports is just when you think you know you have no idea. As the White Sox head into the All Star break with a 1.5 game lead over the Twins, it is time to reflect on what we thought we knew as the season marched on. In March the problem was the pitching, many said a rotation relying on John Danks and Gavin Floyd to be major contributors was doomed to fail. Well 94 games later the Sox boast the second best ERA in all of baseball and the main reason for this has been the emergence of Floyd and Danks. Arguably they both should be pitching in New York tomorrow night as Gavin ends the first half with 10 wins, an ERA of 3.65 and has twice carried a no hitter deep into the 7th inning. Johnny Danks is fourth in the AL in ERA and with any sort of run support would be making a case not only to be in the All Star game, but to be on the mound in the first inning. Danks has decided recently to control his own fate by pitching into the 7th inning or later in three straight starts, which he was failing to do early in the season.

The sure thing headed into April was obviously Mark Buehrle, but after a rough April some fans were questioning the signing and wondering if Mark had lost it. On May 27th Mark’s ERA was 5.26, nine starts later it has dipped to 3.68. If there is one thing I have learned as a Sox fan the last person I am ever going to worry about is Mark Buehrle. The ace of the staff was supposedly Javy Vazquez and he played the part the first two months of the season, but after being outdueled by Scott Kazmir in Tampa in May, Javy has looked the Javy the Yankees wanted no more part of. Now there are Sox fans muttering it is the same old Javy that just doesn’t have the mental make up to be a front line starter. I am a sucker for pitchers with great stuff and without a doubt Javier has the best stuff on this staff. If he continues to slide into August, there may be something to worry about, but Ozzie is giving him plenty of rest over the break and that may just be exactly what he needs.

It was only about a month ago when Jim Thome was washed up and needed to be benched. He was hitting just over the Mendoza line, but Big Jim has been on fire in July, hitting .372, but more importantly putting up typical Thome slugging numbers. He can’t hit lefties? Well he is hitting 30 points higher versus lefties this season. Just another example of the more you know, the less you know.

What could be a deciding factor in the AL Central race is what the Sox get out of their Captain, Paul Konerko. Hands down he has been the biggest disappointment in the first half, but the “sit down Paulie talk for Brian Anderson and moving Swisher to first” nonsense needs to stop. The man has earned the benefit of the doubt and has shown in the past he can have a big second half. I don’t want to make excuses for Paul, but he did have a nagging hand injury and then the oblique strain. The man is just 32 years old, did he just all of a sudden lose his ability to hit? Somehow I doubt it, and I think we are in store for the Paulie of old coming up in August and September and hopefully October.

It is a looooonnnng season Sox fans - a team that wins 90 games is going to lose 72 games. It is important to keep that in mind and not get too high when it’s going good or to low when inevitable bad streak happens. Not many expected this team to be where they are in the standing at the All Star break and the division is ours for the taking.

Let’s all sit back and watch Quentin and Dye help secure home field advantage tomorrow night and get ready for what promises to be an exciting second half.