Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. Ozzie Guillen said it right. It is like being on an air plane that is crashing and all you can do is put on your seat belt and watch. Every team goes thru a slump at least once a season. You just grit your teeth and hope they come out of it sooner rather than later. And then sometimes the wheels just fall of the wagon and you know the season is lost. So far this year the Sox have had a hitter sprain his ankle swinging the bat, another batter hurt his ribs swinging the bat, and a baserunner break his leg rounding first base. Normally you might see one of these happen once in a while, but when all three happen two months in to the season you know the planets aren't lined up in your favor. In 1997 the White Sox were critisized for pulling the plug on the season and getting rid of their high priced potential free agents. It was the so called "White Flag Trade". That year the Sox were chasing the Cleveland Indians and still had a chance to win the division, but they were playing flat and uninspired. The trade took them out of the race but the Sox got some young players to start rebuilding with. This year's team is loaded with high priced players, some of whom will become free agents at the end of the year. Sometime beteen now and July 30, the Sox will have to back up the truck and start preparing for next year. I would suggest a complete house cleaning. It is time to let Paul Konerko go. He should comand a nice price on the trading block. Tadahito Iguchi will be a free agent. So long Tad. Thanks for the memories. Juan Uribe? He gone! Crede? Trade him while he still has some value. Jim Thome may go down as one of Kenny Williams' biggest flops. We would have been better off with Frank Thomas and Arron Rowand. Some contender will be glad to give up some good young meat for him. Scott Posednik's career is about over so the Sox will probably have to eat his contract. Darren Erstadt was a nice try, but no dice. As far as the pitching staff goes, I would keep Bobby Jenks and John Garland. The rest are all dispensable. So that leaves us with a nucleus of Jermain Dye, A J Perzinski, Garland and Jenks. It will be an uphill battle and may take a few years, but if Kenny is shrewd with his trades and has a few good drafts, the White Sox should be back in contention by 2012. In the mean time, strap it on, cinch it up and hunker down. Its going to be a rough flight. Until then, just call me Mr. Pale Hose.