White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf would like to rewrite history. On July 31, 1997, he gave up three of his best pitchers for six prospects, even though the White Sox were just 3 1/2 games out of first place. At the time he was reviled for calling it quits with more than two months left to go in the season. In his famous insult to fans, he said, “Anyone who thinks this White Sox team will catch Cleveland is crazy.”
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This August Reinsdorf contended the white-flag trade has made the team what it is today. “The guys that we traded have done very little since we traded them,” he told the Sun-Times, “and the young players that we acquired have become the backbone of this team.”
Brian Manning has been released, Ken Vining is 1-5 in AA ball, and Mike Caruso has been banished to the minors. The traded Roberto Hernandez is now playing for the horrid Tampa Bay Devil Rays, where he nevertheless has four wins and 31 saves all by himself, with a 2.82 ERA. He’s racked up 105 saves since the deal.
–Steve Rhodes
