The White Sox hit the halfway point of this miserable season Tuesday with a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The loss leaves the Sox at 21-60. The great thing about the halfway point of the season is it becomes easy math to figure out what pace teams and players are on -- simply multiply by two.
That means the Sox are on pace to go 42-120 this season.
Old-timers will recall that the 1970 White Sox hold the franchise record for losses in a season. That team went 56-106.
That means the Sox would need to go 35-46 in the second half of the season just to equal the worst club in the 124-year history of the franchise.
Do you see that happening? Nope, me neither.
The worst team in modern baseball history was the 1962 New York Mets. They were an expansion team that went 40-120.
The worst team in my lifetime, which dates back to 1976, was the 2003 Detroit Tigers. They went 43-119.
Basically, the Sox are a mortal lock to become the worst team in franchise history, and they are right on pace to finish in the same ballpark with the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Tigers -- the two worst clubs that anyone alive has seen.
I've heard some Sox fans say they want the team to set these futility records, so that this level of losing becomes part of owner Jerry Reinsdorf's legacy.
I understand that perspective, but here's the thing: Reinsdorf doesn't care, and he'll be dead pretty soon. This isn't going to stick to him.
But if you're a Sox fan, if indeed this team loses 120 games or more, you'll be hearing about this for the rest of your life.
I think it's going to happen, but I'd rather not see it. There's no particular benefit to setting a record for most losses. Would it humiliate Reinsdorf into running the franchise better? I don't believe so.
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