July 31--History repeats itself with regularity in baseball, but sometimes the reboot has a different ending.
Heading into today's trading deadline, the White Sox are in the same position as the summer of 1997, but are expected to react in a much different manner.
The Sox had a seven-game win streak end Thursday night in Boston and are two games under .500 at 49-51, only 3 1/2; games behind the Twins for the second AL wild-card spot at the deadline.
Of course, they're probably going for it, despite dangling starter Jeff Samardzija for weeks.
In 1997, the Sox pulled off a seven-game win streak in mid-July to pull to within 2 1/2 games of first-place in the AL Central on July 14th. Seventeen days later, they trailed Cleveland by 3 1/2; games but had lost 11 of 16 to fall under .500 (52-53) at the trade deadline.
Of course, they dumped salaries in what became known as the "White Flag" trade.
So what's the difference between the '97 Sox and this year's version?
Not much.
Both teams are just under .500 but hanging around a race no one wants to win.
Robin Ventura is the same guy he was in '97, albeit older and with a lower 'Q' rating amongst Sox fans. Ventura was coming back from a broken leg in '97 and spoke out against the White Flag trade. Now he's the manager in favor of recharging at the deadline.
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, is the same guy he was in '97, albeit older and more willing to spend. Reinsdorf has three more rings since the White Flag trade, including two with the Bulls. But he's gone 10 years since his last one with the '05 Sox, and frankly his fingers are getting restless.
Sox fans are the same as in '97, albeit older and a little crankier. The theory Chicago would become a Sox town if they ever won a championship turned out to be a false starter, and things are back to normal. The Sox drew 1.86 million at New Comiskey Park in '97, eighth out of 14 AL teams. They're on pace to draw 1.86 million this year at U.S. Cellular Field, 12th among 15 AL teams.
Just as the '97 Sox underachieved in the first half, so did this year's team. But Reinsdorf said in '97 it was "crazy" to think the Sox could catch Cleveland that year, while no one thinks it'd be crazy for this year's team to catch the Twins or compete with the other wild card contenders.
And don't forget the White Flag trade directly led to a 2000 division title, even if the Sox were swept by Seattle in the Division Series, so it wasn't as bad in hindsight as it seemed at the time.
Either way, it's a new era and the Sox are likely to try a different approach.
General manager Rick Hahn has to decide by 3 p.m. whether this nice stretch is just another Sox tease or a real trend.
