I could blame Lou again, but really, what's the point?
Well, wait, yes, there is a point. Here it is. With two out and Juan Pierre on second base (replays showed he was safe, sliding around Starlin Castro's tag), Paul Konerko was the due hitter. Carlos Silva, who gave up a run in the first inning, had shut the White Sox down quite well since then (one walk, to the almost unwalkable Pierre, and three hits from the second to the sixth).
Konerko is the White Sox' best hitter this year. Like, by a lot. Like, as in his 1.008 OPS is fifth in the American League.
The situation called for -- nay, cried out for -- Silva to issue an intentional walk to Konerko, then leave to applause as Andrew Cashner came in to face Carlos Quentin, whose offensive numbers would fit in real well with the Cubs' lineup today.
Nope. Lou sat there. Silva, to his credit, battled Konerko pretty well, but Konerko sent a sinking line drive into right field and Xavier Nady appeared to lose it in the lights. Pierre scored, and that turned out to be the difference in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox, the first time in 12 starts this year that the Cubs didn't score at least three runs for Carlos Silva, who was then left in to face Quentin, and he got him on a comebacker -- at which time TV cameras caught him yelling angrily and throwing something in the dugout.
Yeah, I know. You're going to say I blame Lou when he makes moves, when he doesn't make moves, and when he make the wrong moves. To which I say: you're right, and when that happens, it's time for the manager to go. I believe hiring Lou was the right move to make at the time the move was made. But it's three and a half years later and he is no longer engaged, seems no longer interested, appears to be just collecting his paycheck.
In respect for Lou's long tenure in the game, he should be allowed to announce his retirement -- for any reason he cares to give, "personal reasons", "want to spend more time with my family", whatever. But it is time for him to go. Let's start the Ryne Sandberg era right now. It would introduce some energy into this team and, as many managerial changes of this sort do, perhaps give this moribund team enough of a boost to at least pretend they are contenders for a month or so.
Incidentally, for Steve Stone and others (I'm looking at you, Jessica) who still were wondering where Tyler Colvin was today, obviously, it was because a lefthander was going. Yes, I know -- eventually, Colvin is going to have to learn to hit lefthanders, but I do understand that lineup choice. However, in connection with the pitching move I suggested that never got made, Colvin should have been in the game in a double-switch at the same time, instead of being wasted as a pinch-hitter (he singled and was stranded). The Cubs left ten men on base in all, four of them in scoring position, and had the tying run on base in the ninth.
Presuming the rain holds off Sunday evening (it rained for most of the 8th and 9th innings this afternoon), there will be at least one championship team in Wrigley Field, when the Blackhawks and their Stanley Cup are honored in pregame ceremonies. Congratulations again to the Blackhawks, and may your winning rub off -- soon -- on the North Side.