The joy and agony of expectations, from Armour Square to Ann Arbor

Fouad Egbaria

As I sat watching the White Sox take on the Cubs tonight, not long after Big Ten Media Days wrapped up not far away at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, I was reminded how expectations can distort.

A White Sox fan since I had the agency (and interest) to make the choice, my expectations for the squad were middling entering the season. I expected, pretty much, what the Sox are at now: hovering around .500 (with tonight's win against the Cubs, the Sox inched back to .500, at 50-50, a true paragon of mediocrity).

But the South Siders surprised in April, starting the season on the heels of the truly silly LaRoche saga with a 23-10 run.

Just like that, those previously modest expectations evaporated. The first Cubs-Sox World Series was sure to happen, the first since Teddy Roosevelt's administration -- before the first World War, before the formation of the National Park Service, before, well -- you get the picture.

Alas, April proved to be a mirage. The Sox plummeted, losing their once-sizable division lead in the blink of an eye.

I don't have time to tune into every game anymore, but I still tune in when I can, even now. And when I do -- or when I hop on the Red Line toward 95th to catch a game at U.S. Cellular Field -- I'm just looking to consume the sport in its rawest form. Watching just to watch, to see something fun: maybe a home run, some fireworks, a meaningless win. It's all in good fun.

And if those things don't happen, it's fine. Bereft of the weighty albatross of expectations, you can hold your head high, no matter the result.

Meanwhile, on the gridiron, behold a different view.

Michigan is being talked about -- not just Harbaugh and his endeavors, but Michigan as a whole. No, not "is this the season coach X gets fired" talk -- Michigan is being discussed as a possible playoff team. How crazy is that? Two years ago I watched Michigan eke out a miserable win against Northwestern in Evanston, wondering how this Michigan program could possibly be cut from the same cloth as the one I saw in 2000, when Drew Henson's Wolverines battled Northwestern (and ultimately lost) in an spectacle of offensive pyrotechnics, back when they were still novel things.

This is far different than 2007, when Michigan entered the season ranked in the top 5 after a brilliant 2006 season capped by losses to good Ohio State and USC teams. It made sense, then, to have expectations. The 2007 season was meant to be a logical continuation of 2006.

Does it make sense now, to have those expectations? Is it logical, tethered to reality, believable? Yes, the pieces are all there, but after Michigan lost to its three toughest regular-season foes last year (and in spectacularly poor fashion against Ohio State), I'm not sure the same level of preseason certainty can be had.

That's what I would think, if Michigan didn't have Jim Harbaugh, the motor behind it all, the ultimate X-factor. Given Harbaugh's clear penchant for baseball, and the baseball theme of this post, it should be noted that his career coaching WAR is impressive, worthy of consideration when pondering the future.

This summer, Harbaugh has worn seemingly every jersey under the sun, traveled more than Carmen San Diego, angered SEC coaches, traded Twitter barbs with said coaches and wore a Michigan ballcap during his Media Days appearance. The whole enterprise, the idea of it, has picked up steam, gathering hype and attention magnetically.

With all of that, of course, comes expectation. And at a certain point, hype gives way to imminent reality. The season will start and all of the offseason antics will become a distant memory, a pleasant diversion, a rallying cry, a beacon of pride leading the Michigan fan base away from an era in which there was not much pride to be had.

While I love the White Sox, I look forward to having expectations again. Sports are made by stakes, and stakes are raised up high or brought down to the Midwestern earth by the lever of expectation.

Many fans expect a Big Ten East division title, a Big Ten title, a playoff appearance -- even more than that, possibly. None of those things are totally unrealistic. There are question marks lingering, but not necessarily enough of them to invalidate the hype.

A callback to his younger days in Chicago, Harbaugh will throw out the first pitch tomorrow at Wrigley Field, adding to the now expansive inventory of "Harbaugh throws a baseball" photography. I can't say whether he'll throw a ball or a strike.

I will say this: I expect the latter. And if he doesn't, we'll laugh and move on.

But come September, October, November, that will change: the games are no longer just fun and games. Everything indicates, however, that Harbaugh, the rest of the coaching staff and the players are ready for what's to come.

But what about the fans? What happens if Michigan falls at Iowa or Michigan State? Or, once again, at OSU, keeping that Henson-led 2000 team as the last Michigan outfit to win in Columbus?

Those moments mark the point when the taut line of expectation whips back against those who expect.

But failure and success are each meaningless by themselves without the idea of the other. The taut line slackens when none of it matters at all.

As time marches on toward kickoff, the line tightens and tightens with each day. It extends forward, like a sharp line drive, girded by expectations and hope.

Will it fall, shattering upon impact by virtue of its hardened material? Maybe. But maybe it won't.

And if it doesn't, Michigan can tight-rope across that line, all the way to what once seemed an unattainable light in the distance.

White Sox-Tigers: Miscellaneous Thoughts and Why We Watch

Fouad Egbaria

I'll be heading down to the park today for the first time since April (a win that propelled the White Sox to an early 2-0 record). Now, in mid-August, the Sox sit at 46-72, 7.5 games behind the fourth place Twins and 23 behind the division-leading Tigers. 

The White Sox were last a .500 team on May 26, at 24-24, after a 5-3 win against the similarly hapless Marlins. 

The games mean nothing now, and the few remaining useful parts of this old car have been sold off for money and younger parts. Jake Peavy, Matt Thornton, Jesse Crain and Alex Rios all play for other teams, now. Additionally, it appears that we are likely watching Paul Konerko's penultimate month as a White Sox, a guy who has been around for so long that a White Sox squad without him is a strange concept. It seems unlikely, but Konerko has been placed on waivers, so we might not even get the month of September to say goodbye. 

Even so, I still find myself tuning in almost every night, or when I'm able to. The sweep of the Yankees last week, complete with the absurdity of a Mariano Rivera blown save, and the first two victories in this current series against Detroit, have served as a reminder that when stakes are non-existent, there's nothing left to do but have fun and, as they said in 2012, "appreciate the game."

I wouldn't be able to find myself saying this about any other sport--college football and basketball, the Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls--but this is allowed to still be fun. And it is. Of course, it hasn't always been that way in 2013; after all, the Sox are 26 games below .500. 

With that said, the aesthetics of sports--not the cold hard facts of winning and losing, but aesthetics--is composed of two elemental parts: people and moments. Many of the people are now gone, wearing the colors of other teams, but there have been moments (especially since the Sox lead the league in extra inning games with 20). 

So, I'll head to the 500 level this afternoon to watch Rick Porcello and John Danks take the mound. The Sox might lose, harmlessly spreading three or four hits over nine innings. But maybe, just maybe, there'll be some moments. In a time like this, with a playoff appearance long since rendered an extreme unlikelihood, that desire to be there when they happen, whether at the park or watching on TV, is more than enough reason to watch, to care. 

Game No. 14, White Sox-Blue Jays: Tank In Toronto

 White Sox 4, Blue Jays 3

With the Bulls heading to the playoffs soon (and likely no advancing further than the second round) and the NHL playoffs beginning in two weeks, I'm hoping to have more time to focus on the White Sox and, yes, Michigan football offseason minutiae. I'm still working out a summer schedule of sorts, but, as always, whatever happens, happens.

In any case, the White Sox have struggled since I last wrote about them, when I visited the Cell for the second game of the season, back in the halcyon days when the Sox were 2-0.

Now, Robin Ventura's club sits at 5-8, having been swept by the Nationals, dropping two of three in Cleveland and losing yesterday's contest against some guy named Mark Buehrle. You may have heard of him at some point. The White Sox got to this Buehrle character in the first inning, but quickly relinquished the lead in the second frame after a Maicer Izturis home run. The Jays held on for a 4-3 win in the end.

Today, Josh Johnson took the mound for Toronto, whose last appearance saw him get shelled in Detroit; he exited the game after just four outs.

Naturally, the White Sox went down 1-2-3 in the first inning, with Alejandro De Aza recording a strikeout for the eighth time in his last nine games.

For the White Sox, Dylan Axelrod took the mound, his third start of the season. Axelrod did provide a solid performance on April 6 against Seattle, recording the win, but didn't fare quite as well in Washington. giving up seven hits and six earned runs in 3.2 IP.

On the bright side, Axelrod started the game with a K, getting 2B Emilio Bonifacio on some breaking stuff, the fourth pitch of the AB. Axelrod did give up a sharp single on the next at bat, but managed to get out of the first unscathed.

Adam Dunn struck out to start the second, but the White Sox started some trouble after a Konerko single and a Gillaspie walk. With a runner in scoring position, I'm pretty sure the White Sox are contractually obligated to not get said runner home. Viciedo struck out, but on the next AB Ramirez ripped a hard single to center. Unfortunately, Paul Konerko was forced to stay at third, leading to a bases loaded situation with two outs for Hector Gimenez.

Game No. 2, White Sox-Royals: Errors and Long Balls

Fouad Egbaria

Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City Royals 2

Hey, how about a little baseball? 

I had the chance to take in the Sox' second game of the season this afternoon, coming after the always annoying post-opening-day-day-without-a-game. On an exciting note, this was my first trip to the Cell in many, many years (i.e. the early 2000s). So, it was nice to be back, even if the park was depressingly empty.  But, hey: 1:10 p.m. on a Wednesday? What can you do. 

Jake Peavy took the mound for the White Sox and came out in vintage bulldog fashion, striking out five of the first six Royals he faced, all five going down swinging and looking generally like fools. 

In the bottom of the second, Adam Dunn made up for a poor opening day by smacking the first pitch into the right field stands, a 431-foot home run shot. Interestingly enough, Tyler Flowers knocked one out of the park on the first pitch of the next inning as well, making this two games with two homers for Flowers. At this rate, Tyler Flowers is on pace to become the most decorated athlete in the history of Western civilization. My guess is he won't keep up this homer per game pace...let's see if this bold prediction holds up. 

Although Peavy did bring the good stuff today, his outing wasn't without its troubles, namely due to the defense behind him. In the third, a Three Stooges-esque little collision between Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo led to the former dropping what should have been a fairly routine out. The error was charged to Ramirez, but it seemed to me that Ramirez waved Viciedo off early off for the latter to have gotten out of the way. But, in the end, the ball's on the ground, and that's not good. This would become a trend. 

In the same inning (after an Alex Gordon flyout following the aforementioned shenanigans), Viciedo mishandled a ball in left field that allowed Chris Getz (GO BLUE) the opportunity to score with ease, tying the game at 1-1. The top of the third of this one was one to forget. 

Luckily, Chicago's home run offense kept churning on, this time with Viciedo hitting a two-run home run, bringing in the walked Adam Dunn in the process. 

After a quiet fifth inning --in which all three Sox struck out swinging-- Gordon started the sixth for the Royals with a double. Two ground outs later and Gordon crossed home, cutting the lead to 4-2. Peavy gave up another double, this time to Mike Moustakas, but he managed to get out of the inning and complete his 107-pitch outing having given up two runs and four hits. 

Jesse Crain relieved Peavy, and the defense once again faltered. Dewayne Wise, entering the game at left for Viciedo, simply dropped a catchable ball down the line, allowing Hosmer to reach second. I'm not sure if the sun was in his eyes or what, but the Sox were quite lucky all these errors didn't come back to bite them. 

Crain then gave a single to Lorenzo Cain, he rang up a big punchout against Jeff Francoeur. Robin Venture then brought in Donnie "I'll be here all week" Veal, who faced a pinch-hitting Miguel Tejada (yes, he is still around). Veal walked Tejada in four pitches, loading the bases with one out. Things were looking grim, but a Veal managed to get Gordon to fly out and Matt Lindstrom (in his White Sox debut) entered the game, also getting Alcides Escobar to fly out, ending the inning. 

In the bottom of the 7th, Luke Hochevar relieved Ervin Santana. Alexei took advantage, knocking, you guessed it, another dinger over the newly de-memorialized outfield wall. The insurance run proved to be unnecessary, but hey, fireworks retailers have families to feed too. 

Matt Thornton relieved Lindstrom with one out in the 8th and proceeded to get two easy outs, paving the way for an Addison Reed save situation in the 9th, his second in as many games. I doubt Bobby Thigpen's 1990 saves mark of 57 is in any serious danger, but you couldn't have really asked for a much better start to the season from Reed. 

Reed rattled off a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th to end the game, sending the White Sox to 2-0 on the season. A few notes: 

• The White Sox still haven't scored a run of the non-HR variety this season. So, yeah: same old White Sox. 
• Gordon Beckham walked once but struck out twice. 
• De Aza saw 22 pitches on the day after seeing 21 on Monday. 
• New 3B Jeff Keppinger is batting .125 thus far this season on eight at bats. He's struck out once and has yet to draw a walk.