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How you you feel if I were to tell you that I think Scott Linebrink's performance this season may influence the White Sox record up to 10 games?

Personally I'd be a little concerned.  He wasn't very good last season, and his few appearances in Spring Training have not blown anyone away either.  But his importance to this team is something that's going to prove itself time and time again.  This is a team that has a great starting rotation and a pretty strong back end of the bullpen.  But it's that middle part that bullpen that has to bridge the gap.  With Putz, Pena, Williams, and Linebrink expected to be that unit, the Sox will be relying heavily on Linebrink to get the ball from the starter to Thornton and Jenks.

I expect Putz to have a solid season.  He's coming back in the AL where he's had success, he should be a lot healthier than last season, and he's not going to be in a heavy pressure situation like he was as a late reliever in New York.  As far as Pena and Williams, they are not expected to do much.  Lot's of mop-up appearances, and eating up innings in low pressure games.

So the most important role lies in the right arm of Scott Linebrink.  The Sox are not going to be a team who's going to go out there and score 6-7 runs a game.  They are probably not going be the kind of team that's going to be able to comeback from late deficits either.  But they should be a team that can get leads.  They should be able to score a few runs to help out the starter and get the ball to the relievers to try and nail it down.

So Scott Linebrink's position is one of critical importance.  He's going to be the go to guy when the starter goes out in the 6th or 7th, and the Sox need to get to the 8th.  If he struggles, it all lies on Putz.  The Sox bullpen would instantly become incredibly short, and Ozzie would have to go to some unreliable guys in key situations time and time again.  But if he's good, the team will be a force.  If you can have 3 good relievers to go along with a starting rotation that is among the best in the league, you have it made.

Linebrink was not good last season.  And if he's not good this year it could be a major problem.  It could cost game after game because there's no way to bridge the gap.  Even if it's not him who's blowing the games, it's ths fact that it should be his spot.  He should be the guy getting the ball from starter to late relievers.  If he's not, then it has to be someone else, and I really don't see a name on this roster that is capable of stepping up and filling that void.

So Scott Linebrink holds a giant key in the White Sox success.  If he's good they'll be good.  If he's bad, they'll be bad.  If he's great, this team could be something really special.

In round one of what is to be a host of fun Cubs/Sox Spring Training games, Carlos Quentin stole the show.  Q knocked out two home runs and gave Sox fans a much needed sense of security in regards to his health.  Quentin absolutely killed the pitch he hit in the first inning off Carlos Silva, and then the second one (also off Silva) was a patented 2008 Quentin homerun.  He laced it down the line and you knew it was hit hard enough to get out, but you weren't sure if it was going to have the height and/or stay fair.

Carlos Quentin's 2009 season was horribly troubling.  With the rough start followed by the injuries that surely impacted the rest of his season, Quentin never really got his bat going.  But the man who should have won the MVP in 2008 is still the same great hitter in every Sox fan's head.  We expect to see him torch the ball every time he steps to the plate.  With that hulking stance, and the incredibly intense mentality, it looks like he's out to mash the ball every time.  But last season he was just a touch off.

Somehow I was able to convince myself every time he came up that it's ok, he's injured, this isn't the real Carlos Quentin.  I kept hammering the idea in my head that once he's healthy, he'll be back for real.  But media reports both locally and nationally continue to predict struggles.  They look towards what he did last season while healthy before the injury.  They look to the fact that he is indeed prone to injury.  And they jump to the conclusion that 2008 was the anomaly, not 2009.

Yet I know in my mind, and I bet in pretty much every Sox fan's mind, that 2008 is Carlos Quentin.  Carlos Quentin is an elite hitter.  He is the force that can take a solid team to a great team.  The Carlos Quentin of 2009 was a fluke.  But I, nor anyone else, had nothing to base it on other than blind faith and optimism.

But after yesterday's performance, we at least have something to hang our hats on.  We know what Carlos can be, and hopefully we can continue to convince ourselves that his 2 HR game yesterday is what Carlos will be.

Image courtesy of www.takeoverthegame.com.

I tried to go the whole day trying to go without seeing the score of the game, but that just isn't possible.  But I did decide to hold off to write my conclusions from the game until after I had a chance to watch it.  That's why this post is coming to you the day after the game.

I saw a large number of things that I really liked in this game.  I'll start with running.  Pierre was off and running every time he had a chance, Andruw Jones got one, Kotsay got in the mix, and the list goes on.  It's nice to see that the Sox are wasting time implementing the new strategy of speed and athleticism.  John Danks was real good in his first outing of the year.  He gave the Sox 2 inning of scoreless ball, and looked pretty darn sharp while doing so.  Andruw Jones looked surprisingly agile, fit, and... thin.  I wasn't sure he could even make it to first on routine single, to see him steal a base and run around out there in center.

Dayan Viciedo has excited me since the day the Sox signed him.  He's showed a ton in just two short days at camp.  His defense looks much better and his swing looks strong and quick.  I still see the Alexei-esque inability to hit the breaking pitch, but he does have that same approach where if you hang one, he's going to absolutely kill it.

The defense looks pretty weak however.  A.J. dropped a pop-up, Pierre couldn't corral a line drive, and there were a few other instances where I thought better efforts were needed.  It's still really early so there's not a ton of concern there, but I'd like to see them pick it up sooner than later.

Buehrle vs. Dodgers tomorrow.  Man it's nice to have baseball back.

This Saturday the Cubs and Sox will meet in a split-squad game at the Cubs Spring Training home in Mesa.  Ozzie says he's going with the Sox on the trip instead of staying in his cushy office at the Ranch.  Guillen claims the Cubs should be thanking him because he, "always bring good ballclubs."  Personally I don't watch, nor do I, breakdown every single Spring Training game including the split squad ones.  So when I read this, I thought, he's probably right, but I want to know for sure if the thank you is truely sincere.

Last year in the Sox first split-squad affair they met the Cubs in one end of it.  Last time the Sox and Cubs were in Vegas, and the other squad traveled to play the A's.  Ozzie really did split it up fairly on that occassion (AJ, Konerko, Nix, Fields, Danks at home, Alexei, Q, Thome, Bacon, Broadway on the road).  And in a quick run through of a number of away games the Sox played in last Spring, Ozzie really did keep it fair.  A vast number of players traveled on most occassions and the rotation seemed fair for both teams.

But personally, I don't see how this warrants a thank you note.  It's not in the rules that you have to be fair in sending players on the road in split-squad games (there are some rules but they are limited).  Nor is it in the rules that the manager has to travel when there are split-squad games.  So I guess I can agree that Ozzie is doing the Cubs a little bit of a service in sending a solid team on the road with him, but it's only smart on the Sox end as well.

I'll let him slide on the thank you, but I really think he's just trying to cover up a paid vacation to hang out with Lou.  Those two are quickly becoming best friends.