White Sox

Now that football's over and the Bulls are approaching the stretch run of the regular season, my mind has drifted to baseball. Entering my 27th year as a member of White Sox Nation, I can't help but feel a little ... blah. The team doesn't really look too exciting this year, and the off-season Ozzie exodus and all that came with it was a bit too much. So while I'm still repping for the South Siders (Find me in the Bullpen Bar on Opening Day for a free high-five.), I'd like to broaden my horizons a bit and pick another baseball team to root for this season.

Difficult to watch. The thuggery. The brutality. The career-threatening injuries. And that's just the NBA. How about that NHL? Here's a secret: There's only one reason any team, in any sport, would resort to violence. It's because they can't get it done on talent alone. So long Raffi Torres, hopefully forever. You make Dino Cicarelli look like a choir boy. And so long, fun NHL. This is not the league of Rocket Richard. This is the league of the Hansen brothers.

Thank the stars for Philip Humber. If the baseball season in Chicago truly is going to be as coma-inducing as the prognosticators say it might be, we'll need to live off the White Sox pitcher's perfect game for a while. I won't even mention how desperately we need a distraction from the Blackhawks' implosion. (Ugh, my bad!) Not that it's difficult to bask in Humber's masterpiece. The perfect game - and the no-hitter to a slightly diminished degree - is unmatched in individual, single-game achievement.

By Julie DiCaro It's Crosstown Classic time again, sports fans. Here are three reasons to cheer for the Cubs. > > Everyone loves an underdog: The White Sox are 3.5 games out of first, while the Cubs are tied for the NL Central cellar. Cheering for the Sox is like rooting for the Yankees. Don't root for the Yankees. > > Jeff Samardzija: Raise your hand if you thought you'd see the day Samardzija was one of the top three starters on the team. Put your hand down if you're a liar.

We're heading into a nice, gray, murky area for the White Sox. Oh, it's so easy to get fooled. In fact, I'm in the process of fooling myself right now. Here's how it works. The Sox win a game or two, lose a game or two, then they sweep a really bad team like, say, the Cubs. So they've won like four straight, and you think "OK, here we go, this is it, and they're making their run. " And then you strap it on … and then they're back to .500. This pattern has been cited by local doctors as dangerous to your digestive system and sleeping patterns.

We won't know for few years whether the Cubs made a wise choice in investing $30 million in Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler. We do know the 20-year-old is expected to be an important part of what team President Theo Epstein is building, And the same can be said for these young players on other Chicago teams. Tribune contributed   ALSHON JEFFERY, BEARS Age: 22 Most of the Bears excitement this offseason has been sparked by the Brandon Marshall trade, and we get that.

WATCH Oklahoma City at Miami 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, ABC Huge comebacks. Controversial calls. Players showing why they're superstars. What else could you want from the NBA Finals (one that doesn't include the Bulls, that is)? By the time Thursday's Game 5 is finished, one team could be celebrating a championship. Or we could be in store for one intense weekend of hoops.   READ "The Longest Fight" Available Tuesday It's common for hockey games or even tennis matches to last two hours and 48 minutes.

Stay hurt,A.J. Pierzynski. Stay angry. We need you like that. It's going to be fun on the South Side. I was there to watch the Sox club the Rangers 19-2. I was concerned they would run out of fireworks. Thank God Ron Washington snubbed A.J. for an All-Star spot. Spend the second half making everyone pay, because here's the real deal with the White Sox: Nobody really likes you, and nobody really cares about you. And I mean that in the best way possible. They've always had to work really hard for our affection.

Ah, September. This is the time of year I start to watch baseball because, frankly, my attention span isn't so great. Oh, look, a squirrel! Where was I? Right, baseball. My RedEye owners asked me to predict how the AL Central-leading White Sox will do down the home stretch. Here's how their final five regular-season series will play out.   Sept. 18-20, at Kansas City 2012 vs. opponent: 5-10 Prediction: 1-2 Why the Sox play so poorly against the Royals is a mystery, even to me. They'll get one of these three, however - probably smacking 12 home runs to do it.   Sept.

Edwin Jackson born Sept. 9, 1983 in Neu-Ulm, West Germany. He moved to Columbus, Ga., at age 8, but it was hardly the last time he moved. Jackson reflected on each of his stops in baseball. 2001: Drafted by the L.A. Dodgers Sept. 9, 2003: Makes his major league debut with the team. "L.A., I love the weather. The Dodgers fan base is amazing. The stadium was full of people in Dodger jerseys always. Night after night it was a great place to play. " Jan. 14, 2006: Traded to Tampa Bay "We had one of the most fun teams I've played on. We went from not winning a lot of games to the World Series in 2008.