Time to buy a Wilson Betemit jersey!!!

Nick Swisher, we hardly knew ye.

The Dirty Thirty era has ended after one up and down season. It started bad, got better, and ended worse than it began. It wasn't entirely his fault, but he nonetheless failed in his first and only season on the South Side.

I was excited last year when the Sox brought him in. While he was in Oakland, I was witness to many a game when Swisher beat the Sox with clutch hitting and an annoying, gamer attitude. So when they brought him in, I was on board.

The only thing he really brought was that annoying attitude. He did provide some solid power numbers, and was the most patient hitter the Sox had. But his batting average was atrocious. And his defense in centerfield was even worse.

Things got better when PK went to the DL for awhile. Playing in his natural 1st base job, Swish improved his hitting, and his defense was solid. But when PK came back, Swish went back to the outfield, where his Sox career died. He was shuffled in and out of the lineup, playing multiple positions, and just never seemed to get comfortable. By the time September rolled around, he was a bench player and barely played in the playoffs.

Maybe he tried too hard. Maybe he wanted to make such a good impression that he pressed too much. And maybe as the season went on, he couldn't get the slump out of his head. Who knows. But the bottom line was he had no place on the '09 Sox. 1st base is PK's. Thome is the DH. Dye (for now) and CQ are the corner outfielders. And he wasn't going back to CF.

Truth be told, I would rather they kept Swish and traded PK. Swish is younger, cheaper, and a better defensive 1st baseman. But PK has an almost full no-trade clause. So that wasn't happening.

I also felt Swish tried too hard to promote his blue-collar, grinder attitude. He tried to seem like the grinder type, the one that plays hard and gets clutch hits and does the little things to win games. He didn't really do much of any. So in the end, he just seemed like another vaguely douchey guy. And really, a team can't have a lot of those guys on it's roster. AJ has that distinction locked down anyway.

But at the same time, I feel the need to rip on Kenny a little bit here. Wilson freaking Betemit? Seriously??? That's the best you can do??? He traded an everyday player for a middling utility infielder. I don't get it. I know a couple young pitchers were also received, but as the saying goes, prospects are always suspects until they prove otherwise.

The offseason is still young. I'm hoping Kenny does better than this...

All I ever wanted... all I ever needed...

Is here... in my arms...

Please forgive me for breaking out the Depeche Mode, but a very special part of my life has returned to me.

For those unfamiliar with the story, here goes. At the end of September, I returned home to Chicago for a pair of Sox-Indians games. After the Saturday night game, in which the Sox had lost their second straight against the Tribe, I set out for a night on the city with my best friends. Because I was furious at the Sox for losing both games, I refused to wear my Sox hat out. Instead, I grabbed one of the few hats I had stashed in my closet at home, and pulled out an old LA Dodger cap.

I'm not a Dodger fan, and this had nothing to do with the fact the Cubs were very likely to face the Dodgers in the playoffs. I have briefly discussed my baseball hat fetish in a previous post, and several members of my collection are of teams I have no rooting interest in. I just liked how the hat looked when I bought it. For some reason, this only realtes to baseball, as I refuse to have any football team hat other than the Bears, refuse to have any basketball hat other than the Bulls, and cannot wear any hockey hat other than my beloved Hawks. But baseball? For some reason I have no problem sporting a Mariners, Pirates, Marlins, or in this case, Dodgers hat. I guess the reason is the history of baseball team logos is richer and deeper than in any other sport.

So back to the story. I had caught some serious grief from JM about wearing it, and he was relentless throughout the night. Several bars and many drinks later, we were cabbing it to the last bar destination of the night. I made a joke that involved JM, and without any hesitation, he grabbed the Dodger hat off my head, and threw it out the moving cab.

JK just laughed. JM felt immediate remorse. I felt nothing. The hat meant nothing to me, as it could have easily been replaced. But JM felt really guilty. He apologized profusely the following day, and offered to buy me another. I refused. It wasn't necessary, and truth be told, I wanted to guilt trip him for eternity.

No such luck. JM bought me not just a replacement Dodger hat, but also a Phillies, Brewers, and White Sox hat. This was done under the agreement that I could no longer guilt trip him.

So now my teasured ballcap collection has increased by four. I'm happy to have the Dodger cap back as it does look really cool. The LA Dodger logo is timeless, one of the most recognizable in all of sports. And the Dodger blue just pops off the hat. Really, a beautiful hat.

But you know what? The hat is too clean, looks too new, and doesn't fit quite as nicely as the old one did, wherever it may be...

Words are very unecessary... they can only do harm...

A new man, a new hope, a new tomorrow

A memorable, historic night. One we'll be telling our grandkids about. In a country built by slavery, a country not far removed from the horrific civil-rights era of the 60's, a country that for so long (and still to this day) has looked down upon minorities, a black man has been elected as the 44th President of the United States.

I remember in junior high, sitting in history class and reading about Martin Luther King, Jr. While I certainly appreciated how far blacks had come, I never expected this day to come. None of us did. I casted my vote this morning after waiting in line for close to an hour. But it was well worth it. I would have waited a week to cast my vote for Mr. Obama. This is a man of hope, a man of change, a man that will lead us into the promised land.

I understand that there will be bumps in the road. He's not going to correct things overnight. This country is beyond screwed up, with economic turmoil, wars, and the constant threat of terrorism. The whole world is in an era of chaos, where gas and food prices are through the roof and everyone has job uncertainty. Nobody has seen so much tension and anxiety with the way things are going.

But I believe he can lead us out of this mess. He has the vision, the work ethic, and the determination to get it done. We as a country have shown that we are not one of wealthy, old white men. We are a country of hope, tolerance, and change. It will take time, yes. But it will happen.

Trust me, we'll be building statues and naming high schools after him. I am standing with him. We can get out of this mess.

Yes we can.