#kennywilliams

Kenny is my boyfriend who I have been trying to come out to for ages now, just every time I do I always back out last minute.

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Me and Kenny were going to go to my parents' house for dinner. "You ready baby?" I ask Kenny "Yeah, you look cute today" Kenny smiles "So, did I look bad yesterday?" I reply jokingly knowing he was going to take it to heart "Oh, no. No, that's not what I meant. I-" He panics as I cut him off "Babe! I know, I was just kidding" I say "Oh, okay." Kenny says flashing that cute ass smile of his.

- At the dinner

I was already out to my parents and I told them that I were out to Kenny even though I wasn't. The only reason I told them that you were out to him was because I didn't want them to think that Kenny was a bad guy and would leave you if you were bi. However I was a little scared of that myself, which is why I have yet to come out to him. Outside of his cocky character everyone sees on television, he was actually a sweetheart. Especially to me. But I was still concerned he may leave me if he were to find out.

"So, Kenny. How did you react when Y/N came out to you? Did you splash a glass of water her face haha" My dad joked. That was a running gag in our family. Because my last boyfriend threw water in my face after I came out to him. While it was a tragedy at the time it has became an inside joke among our family. "I'm sorry what? What do you mean, come out?" Kenny asks "Oh, uhm.." I begin, not knowing what to say. "You are out to Kenny, right hun?" My mom asks. Tears began to form in my eyes "...No" I manage to get out "What's wrong, love?" Kenny asks "I'm bi. And before you say anything; I-I-I wanted to tell you but I was afraid you'd l-leave me" I say while a tear left my eye "What? Babe, of course not. I love you for you. And that means every part, every aspect, of you. I love you Y/N" Kenny replies "Really?" I ask "Yes, yes, of course!" Kenny says "I love you too" I say as he begins to lean for a kiss but the quickly transitions into a hug remembering we are in front of my parents. "Awwee" My parents say in sync.

- At your guys' house

Kenny was changing out of his formal clothes into more comfortable clothes, while I was sat on the bed on my phone. Kenny was in grey sweats and no shirt, it kind of turned me on. But anyway-

"This isn't going to change anything between us, right?" I ask him "What?" He asks joining me on the bed "You know... the fact that I'm bi. Is it going to change anything between us?" I ask more clearly this time "No, of course not, love. I don't know why you think that this is a dramatic change in our relationship. It's normal to like girls and guys. I support you one hundred percent. Babe, I love you. And your sexuality isn't going to change that" Kenny replies honestly "Awe. I love you too baby" I reply and kiss him as he kisses back softly.

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The White Sox are 99% done. Barring any unforeseen comeback in the next month or so, they will not be seeing the playoffs for eight straight seasons. Will this team rebuild? Well, after acquiring Charlie Tilson, the number 12 prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system for Zach Duke, this may be hinting at things to come in the offseason. Tilson, who is now the number five prospect in the Sox farm system (that’s how top heavy our farm system is), was not going to see the light of day in the Cardinals organization behind Randall Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty, and Tommy Pham, so this move made sense for both teams. I am sick of J.B. Shuck’s lack of judgment in centerfield, and Avi Garcia is a lost cause, aside from the Detroit series last week, so having Tilson, who grew up in Wilmette as a Sox fan is exciting.

The bad luck kept pouring in for the Sox last week. They stood pat at the deadline and have been heavily criticized by some (not me). On top of that, Brett Lawrie, Alex Avila, and Austin Jackson are all injured, so we might as well tack on one more. In Tilson’s MLB debut last Tuesday, he recorded his first hit. Later on, while running for a ball in center, his knee buckled. The injury did not look good. He needed help off the field. Low and behold, he tore his hamstring and had surgery on it last week. That is now the 4th White Sox prospect to be pulled up and injured in or before his first game of play. This team must be cursed. Matt Davidson broke his foot rounding first in his debut this season. Kevan Smith suffered from back spasms and couldn’t make his first MLB start. Jason Coats collided with J.B. Shuck in his debut and had to exit the game. It’s incredible. In addition, Tim Anderson was hit on the hand last Thursday and had to leave the game early. Luckily, however, this one was just a bruise, and he was back the next day. Way to drink your milk, Timmay!

Anyways, let’s move back to this team’s performance. Jose Abreu’s bat seems to have some pop in it lately, homering three times in his last four games. He went 137 consecutive at bats without a dinger. I know I have been critical of his bat this year, especially when he seems to be trying to do too much with RISP. On the other hand, I can think of an excuse for his underwhelming season thus far. In the offseason, his agents screwed him out of $5.2 million when he defected from Cuba to start his MLB career. The media first shed light on this situation this year, and we found this out at the beginning of the season, when he was slumping. He also visited Cuba in the offseason, where he is revered. He doesn’t get to see his son, who presently lives in Cuba, and his son finally came to visit him in the United States today. Is it a coincidence that his bat came alive in the past week? No. I think he has had bigger distractions on his mind, and no one is really considering that. I’m not trying to make excuses for the guy, who has had a rough season power-wise, but I’m sure if you are a father, not being able to see your kid would really hit home with you. I bet he kills it next season, if he’s still in a White Sox uniform.

Side note: Dioner Navarro is the worst player on the field. He can’t frame a pitch to save his life. His baserunning is horrendous. He can’t hit the ball. It’s all bad for him. On Friday, in fact, he was doubled up at third base on a line drive trying to bait the first baseman who caught it into throwing it to get him out. He was tagged out. He also tried bunting and hit it off the plate. He’s the slowest guy on the team! I get that you can’t hit, but I don’t think you’re beating out a bunt for a hit, even if it’s the most well placed bunt in the world.

James Shields is back to getting shelled, too. He gave up bombs galore today, and his last start was pretty brutal. This is starting to look like Jeff Samardzija again. I’m not sure if I’m the only one who thinks that.

Last week, I discussed the four most likely trade pieces for the White Sox before this Monday’s trade deadline. I’m seeing it all over Twitter that this team needs to rebuild. Yes, they’ve had extremely underwhelming seasons since 2012, but do they really need to get rid of everyone? No, they shouldn’t. Here’s why:

The White Sox front office doesn’t know how to rebuild. I know Kenny Williams is notorious for poor drafting and trading away talent, but not once have I seen the reluctance of Jerry Reinsdorf swayed in my life. I may trust Rick Hahn the most, but he wasn’t given the permission to open the checkbook this past offseason a little more and had to settle for replacement level players in CF, SS, and as a 5th starter (the White Sox way). On top of that, because Kenny drained our farm system from his tenure as a GM, we’ve had to rush prospects, like Carlos Rodon, Carson Fulmer, and Chris Sale. Granted, Sale has definitely panned out, but obviously the other two have not yet. Rodon has been in the bigs for two years now but never had time to find his changeup. Fulmer had trouble finding the plate in the minors and has shown that his last two outings.

I get that it’s a seller’s market, and most contending teams would do anything to get their hands on the plethora of trade bait the Sox have in their back pocket. The biggest issue with this team is that they fold under pressure with different lineups every year too easily. It isn’t the players. It’s the coaches. McEwing is trash. Steverson is trash. Ventura is trash (You know this). Had the front office canned Robin at the end of last season and the team put up the same results as they have so far this year, I’d be running through the streets screaming SELL, SELL, SELL! They didn’t, though. We tend to think this team could be perpetually stuck in limbo, but I’d put my money on it that if they have a new manager without selling any of their core by next season, they would make the playoffs. As I write this, Tommy Kahnle’s up and warming in the bullpen!

They have too many good players to be this average. It’s true. Adam Eaton is the best right fielder in the American League. Todd Frazier is amongst the league leaders in home runs. Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are both Cy Young contenders…The list goes on. However, a good portion of this team plays at about 80% of their ability all at the same time. That’s a reflection of bad management. Something sour is going on. Give my recommendation a try.

They have every big piece of their team under control through 2017 and on team friendly contracts. Chris Sale is making $9.5 million this year, and Jose Quintana is making $3.8 million! Both salaries go up next year, but for that production, those salaries are obscene!

Total rebuilds do not work if you don’t have the right men for the job. Hahn has done better as GM, but the advance scouts haven’t shown all that much success and Williams will absolutely lose his mind. I honestly think a rebuild could cause more descent in the organization than there has been in recent years. Rick Hahn may be smart, but I don’t put him at Theo Epstein’s level. 2017 is the year to tear it all down if the same old result appears with new men at the helm.

My final point is prospects don’t always turn out to be stellar. Chris Sales, Jose Quintanas, and Adam Eatons don’t show up at your doorstep everyday. Look at Jacob Turner. He was a first round pick in 2009 and has bounced around multiple teams since, displaying average to subpar results. Look at Gordon Beckham. He’s a utility player and only a starter on Atlanta because they’re actively rebuilding this year. Anthony Ranaudo, the starter in last night’s Crosstown Cup game, pitched well last night, and he was drafted first in 2010 by Theo Epstein! He hasn’t had a good career thus far. Not every rebuilding team will win in a couple years, like the Cubs and Astros. You could turn out to be the Twins. The success rate is not 100%.

I usually do a run down of how the past week went. I won’t now. I will discuss something more important. The Sox currently sit 10 games back in the division and 7 in the wild card. Every team that hovers around this record is beginning to sell with the trade deadline coming in 11 days. For example, today, the Mariners traded Mike Montgomery and Jordan Pries (AAA) to the Cubs for Dan Vogelbach and Paul Blackburn (AA). I don’t really know whom you would call the winner here, as this looks to be a pretty even trade at the moment. Seeing how the Mariners pulled a major prospect in Vogelbach, the White Sox have some major trade bait that could benefit them in the future. Am I recommending that Rick Hahn puts together an entire rebuild? No, I am not. That’s also not reasonable given the talent on this roster and how the front office has managed the team the past 10 years. I hear rumors that the Sox could be sellers at the deadline. It’s a sellers market, so the returns would be exponential. Below, I will list the potential trade pieces the Sox could give up at the deadline for some big name prospects. I will list them in likeliness that I think they could happen.

David Robertson

I think that this one makes a lot of sense. He has struggled with his control this season and has been shelled a couple times, which accounts for his 4.14 ERA. I don’t look at ERA as much for relievers because of how few innings they pitch compared to starters. The biggest contributors to this inflated number, however, are the game in Kansas City where Robin left D-Rob out there for too long and Monday night when he gave up a comfortable 3-0 lead in Seattle. Every contending team could use bullpen help. The Cubs could still use more, so could the Blue Jays and the Red Sox to just name a few. He is under contract through 2018, but I don’t believe this could be a factor with the lack of solid bullpen arms on the market. In addition, the Sox drafted Zach Burdi and Alec Hansen in the 1st and 2nd round. If they make the big leagues (Burdi seems more MLB ready), these two hard throwers would contribute from the bullpen. I don’t see a need in rushing them, especially if this team is still not contending in 10 days, but if Robertson gets traded, the Sox could have Duke or Jennings (UGH) fill in the role of setup man and move Nate Jones to the closer for the remainder of the season. Carson Fulmer could sometimes see some work in the 7th inning if he continues throwing the way he has, which has already far exceeded the performances of Tyler Danish, Tommy Kahnle, Michael Ynoa, Jacob Turner, and Matt Purke.

Melky Cabrera

This one hurts because Melky’s my favorite player on the team. He’s easily the most consistent bat we have and doesn’t strike out. He is also a fun guy to have in the clubhouse. Anyways, he’s hitting .298/.346/.457 with only 37 K’s. He puts the ball in play and has productive ABs. However, he has only hit above the .300 mark 3 times in his 12 year career, and this season could come as the 4th. He could slug in both the NL and AL as a DH or corner OF. I’d hate to see him leave, but he is 31. Selling high isn’t a bad go if Hahn and Williams choose to do so.

Jose Quintana

Side note: The Atlanta Braves acquired Dansby Swanson (2015 #1 pick), Aaron Blair, and Ender Inciarte for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier. This was a great trade for the Braves and could go down as the worst acquisition in MLB history because Shelby Miller was recently sent down the AAA after an abysmal performance in the MLB this year. Q has been more consistent than Sale has this year and earned himself his 1st All-Star bid. He’s also twice the pitcher that Miller is, and the Sox would be selling high on him. He is one of the most underrated and efficient pitchers in the league, but for some reason, the Sox can’t manage to score many runs for the guy. This will be one of the only times he is in the spotlight, so getting rid of him for, most likely, a massive haul would be perfect for the future of this team.

Todd Frazier

This one I don’t see happening as much because Frazier has hit a lot of homers thus far, but his other categories have been subpar at best. He has come around a bit more as of late, but selling low on him doesn’t make much sense to me. On top of that, it is extremely hard to find a 3rd baseman that can hit the long ball like he can. Plus, from a morale standpoint for the front office, they wouldn’t want to concede on a trade in which they gave up three of the organization’s top prospects for a guy who can only hit home runs. I say keep him, but obviously with the power that this guy brings to the table (28 home runs), it’s at least worth the thought of dangling him out there to see the offers you would get in return.

Chris Sale’s name has floated around the MLB trade rumors, too. This has been the case for the past few seasons, but I don’t think this will happen. Sale’s the cornerstone of this franchise. Also, he is on an extremely team-friendly contract ($6.5 million/year), so business-wise, it makes zero sense to get rid of him. He wants to be in Chicago. If the front office has some sense, he will be one of the last people they think of dealing, unless the trade for him is irresistible. Since there is such a lack of starting pitching on the market before the deadline, the only thing I’d trade Sale for would be the entire Texas Ranger farm system.

I’m going to leave the list of Sox trade bait to four. I like the potential idea of being sellers at the deadline. Think logically. After starting 23-10 to open the season, the Sox have only won 23 of the last 61 games. I estimate that they’ll probably end the season around 78-84.

They haven’t done much improving since Robin has been at the helm. In 2012, they collapsed, and ever since then, they’ve underperformed each season. If the front office was smart, the most feasible response would have been firing Robin after last season. He doesn’t get the guys up before games, and he can never get anything extra out of them. However, that didn’t happen. In 2015 and 2016 the rosters had a couple holes but looked moderate to decent. The performances of these two teams have shown otherwise. Kenny should have owned up to his mistake of hiring someone with absolutely no MLB managing experience, but that didn’t happen. The problem with keeping Ventura through his contract was this: it wasted another fantastic season in the prime of the core players on your team (Adam Eaton, Chris Sale, Jose Abreu, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Jose Quintana, etc.).