White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper was so annoyed at my line of questioning Tuesday that he started sounding like Lovie Smith.

How confident are you in the back end of your rotation with two months to go?

"I'm confident in everybody," Coop said. "I'm always confident. I always believe we're going to get it done."

Is is a legitimate concern to wonder how much gas Freddy Garcia has in the tank?

"It would be for anybody in baseball. Can they close out? No matter what team you're on, that's a question for anybody."

Ozzie says it's important to keep Garcia fresh down the stretch.

"We do that with everyone."

On paper, Garcia is most effective when his pitch-counts are down.

"Anybody who has a lower pitch count usually pitches pretty good, all right? I mean, if you throw a low pitch count, you're usually doing pretty well." 

So giving up five runs in less than two innings is nothing to get anxious about?

"That's the media's concern. It's usually not the good things. We're not talking about the good stuff right here. We're talking about, "Can Freddy last? Is he out of gas? You're more concerned with the negatives."

Aren't you ever concerned about one of your pitchers?

"I'm always concerned about everybody every day. But I don't take the approach that they're crashing. I take the approach that they're going to get it right." 

Let the record show that the only person who said anything about anybody crashing is Don Cooper. Clearly, he was in no mood to engage in a healthy discourse on Garcia and Daniel Hudson and the importance of the fourth and fifth starters in the final two months of a pennant race.

Ozzie Guillen, on the other hand, not only was willing to engage in the debate, but he made good points. "What team has a legitimate fifth starter?" he asked. "Like where you say, "Wow. This guy's out there, we're going to win today!"

"The Red Sox? They're in third place. Nobody in baseball has a fifth starter. I think this kid [Hudson] will come up after the bad game on Sunday. And we've got four good ones. Yes, we can make it." 

Cooper doesn't suffer cynics so gladly. He has too many pitchers throwing well to dwell on -- at least publicly -- what could go wrong. And he's got a point. His pitching staff is one of the best in the American League -- fourth in ERA (3.92), third in strikeouts-to-walks (2.34-1). Sox pitchers have allowed the fewest home runs in the AL (74) -- pretty good for a team that plays in a park where the ball carries. In fact, Sox pitchers have allowed 38 homers at U.S. Cellular Field, while Sox hitters have hit 72 homers. The differential of plus-34 is the second best in the AL (behind Toronto's plus-42). The league average is plus 2.8. 

So while I'm not backing down from concerns about the back end of the rotation, the White Sox have much more going for them right now. Here's a look at the brightest of the bright spots: 

1. Gavin Floyd -- The hottest of the Sox's hot starters. After pitching seven scoreless innings against the Mariners on Tuesday night, Floyd (6-8, 3.66) is 4-2 with a 1.04 ERA in his last 10 starts, with a batting-average-against of .202. 

2. John Danks -- The left-hander is 7-2, with a 2.83 ERA in his last nine starts, with a batting-average-against of .186. Danks (11-7, 3.23) has allowed two runs or fewer in 14 of his 20 starts, three or fewer in 16 of 20. 

3. Ozzie Guillen -- The week of the trading deadline is a good example of Guillen's impact on the team and why this team in particular wins because of him. He stands up for his guys and absorbs the distraction of trade-talk at the same time. More importantly, he has a keen awareness of the importance of keeping his pitchers fresh down the stretch.

4. Alexei Ramirez -- After going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in the Sox's 11-0 victory over the Mariners on Tuesday night, Ramirez is hitting .367 (40-for-109) in his last 29 games to improve his batting average from .254 to .288. And the hotter he gets at the plate, the better he has played in the field. 

5. Mark Buehrle -- In early June, Buehrle was 3-6 with a 5.40 ERA. But in his last eight starts, he's etch6-2 with a 2.20 ERA to improve to 9-8, 3.96 overall. 

6. J.J. Putz -- Part of the hottest lefty-righty set-up combination in the league. In his last 26 appearances, Putz is 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA, setting a team record for consecutive scoreless appearances. That can be deceiving for a relief pitcher. But in that span Putz has allowed only one of 10 inherited runners to score.

7. Matt Thornton -- The All-Star left-hander has a scoreless streak of his own -- he hasn't allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings over his last 16 appearances. He's allowed three of 10 inherited runners to score in that span. 

8. Gordon Beckham -- He had two doubles and two RBI against the Mariners on Tuesday night to break an 0-for- skein. In his last 25 games, Beckham is hitting .345 (30-for-87) with three homers and 13 RBI to raise his average from .199 on June 25 to .239.

9. Paul Konerko -- A steadying force in the clubhouse and on the field, Konerko is hitting .297 with 23 home runs and 69 RBI. After hitting one home run in a 22-game stretch through Sunday, Konerko has homered in his last two games. 

10. Omar Vizquel -- Since replacing the injured Mark Teahen at third base, Vizquel not only has given the team an upgrade defensively that appears to have affected the entire infield, but he's hitting .302 (37-for-123) -- pretty good for a 43-year-old who hit .246 in his last full season in 2007.

You don't have to read between the lines too much to know that White Sox general manager Kenny Williams would LOVE to make a deal for a left-handed bat this week. He's just not going to trade an established starting player to do it. 

The best guess is that Williams is waiting for the price to come down to his level, which is minor-league prospects. One of Williams' strengths as a GM is that he likes his players, but doesn't fall in love with them. Top prospects in the Sox farm system, no matter how highly rated they are, can fall out of favor quickly under Williams. Brandon McCarthy, Ryan Sweeney, Aaron Poreda and Lance Broadway all seemed close to untouchable until Williams got a closer look, and then they were gone. Catcher Tyler Flowers, the heir-apparent to A.J. Pierzynski a year ago, is hitting .220 at Class AAA Charlotte and looks like he could join that list.

After the 2008 season, Baseball America's list of Top 10 Prospects in the White Sox organization included Gordon Beckham, Poreda, Clayton Richard, Brandon Allen, Jordan Danks, Chris Getz, John Shelby, John Ely, Cole Armstrong and Eduardo Escobar. Five of the top eight on that list -- Poreda, Richard, Allen, Getz and Ely -- were gone by the beginning of this season. 

Maybe that's why Williams has had such good fortune trading prospects. He's not afraid to do it. And he's done it with minimal regret: Chris Young, traded to Arizona for Javier Vazquez in 2005, was an All-Star with the Diamondbacks this season. Jon Rauch, traded to the Expos for Carl Everett in 2004, has 20 saves for the Twins this season. Frank Francisco, traded to the Rangers for Everett in 2003, saved 25 games for Texas in 2009; Ryan Sweeney and Gio Gonzalez, traded to Oakland for Nick Swisher in 2008, are good-but-not-great players for the A's this season.

But he's avoided the bane of every GM's existence -- the bad burn. The Randy Johnson (Expos to the Mariners for Mark Langston), Ryne Sandberg (Phillies to the Cubs for Ivan de Jesus), John Smoltz (Tigers to the Braves for Doyle Alexander), Jeff Bagwell (Red Sox to the Astros for Larry Andersen) or Sammy Sosa (Rangers to the White Sox for Harold Baines).

Williams gets what he can for former No. 1 picks who don't progress as quickly as he thinks they should -- Joe Borchard for Matt Thornton; Josh Fields for Mark Teahen; Brian Anderson for Mark Kotsay; Poreda as part of the Jake Peavy deal; Lance Broadway for Ramon Castro; and Matt Ginter for Timo Perez.

But it's a pattern of success that puts Williams on the spot. "I would prefer that deals work out for both teams when we make a deal," he said Monday, prior to the Sox' game against the Mariners. "I want the other general manager to ultimately be happy with the players. I want to be happy with mine. But I want to be able to pick up the phone ... you don't last for 10 years doing this by trying to screw people over or mislead or misinformation people to death. That doesn't happen. I try to make good deals where it's beneficial to that club and beneficial to us and I can pick up the phone ... and the other guy will take the call and be more likely to engage in conversation."

That's unlikely to happen. There will always be an allure to prospects. As long as Williams knows a little bit more about his guys than everybody else, trading young players should be a good way to do business. Maybe even before the week is out. 

Here's a look at key players the Sox have acquired in deals involving prospects: 

1. Freddy Garcia -- The Sox acquired Big Game Freddy for Jeremy Reed, Miguel Olivo and Mike Morse in 2005. Reed has hit .253 in parts of seven seasons and is back in the  Sox farm system at Charlotte. Olivo is a career .249 hitter but is hitting .307 as a part-time catcher with the Rockies this season. 

2. John Danks -- Brandon McCarthy looked like too much to give up at the time. But he's had injury problems since going to Texas. He's 13-15 with a 4.68 ERA in parts of three seasons and currently is in Class AAA. 

3. Matt Thornton -- Joe Borchard hit .217 for the Sox as a part-time outfielder in 2004. But he hit .417 in a September call-up in 2005, good enough for the Mariners to take a shot.

4. Jim Thome -- Though Aaron Rowand was the key player in this trade after the 2005 season, Gio Gonzalez was thrown in. Gonzalez is 9-6 with a 3.75 ERA for Oakland this season.

5. Carlos Quentin --  As good as Quentin has been, this deal isn't over yet. Chris Carter, 23, is at Class AAA Sacramento in the  A's farm system and on his way to a third consecutive 25-homer, 100-RBI season in the minor leagues.

6. Carl Everett -- This one could come back to haunt the Sox this season. Jon Rauch, traded to the Expos along with Gary Majewski for Everett in 2004, has 20 saves for the Twins, though he has been shaky the last two months.

7. Jake Peavy -- Acquired from the Padres for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda and right-handed pitchers Adam Russell and Dexter Carter. Richard is 7-5 with a 3.57 ERA for the NL West-leading Padres this season. Poreda and Russell are at Class AAA. Carter is in Class A. 

8. Damaso Marte -- The winning pitcher in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series. The Sox acquired him from the Pirates for Matt Guerrier, who has become an effective set-up man for the Twins. 

9. Juan Pierre -- The Sox acquired him from the Dodgers for pitchers John Ely and Jon Link. Ely had an impressive stretch in May for the Dodgers, when he was 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA. But he is 1-5 with a 7.49 ERA since then and was sent to Class AAA two week ago and replaced by Link. 

10. Geoff Blum -- Game 3 World Series hero was acquired from the Padres for pitcher Ryan Meaux in 2005. Meaux struggled in the high minors for two seasons and was out of baseball by 2008.

Will the failure to lure LeBron James to Chicago turn into another free pass for the Bulls and John Paxson?

The chance to acquire James -- and possibly Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade with him -- seemingly created an all-or-nothing scenario for the Bulls. They'd either be big winners or big losers in the offseason. 

Instead, the way the James saga played out, the Bulls might end up right in the middle, with the worst-case scenario -- a slightly improved team just good enough to look like they're getting somewhere. Just good enough to keep the United Center full and Jerry Reinsdorf happy. Just good enough to keep us from seeing the big picture: while this is the first year of the Tom Thibodeau era, it's the seventh year of the Paxson era and the 13th year of the post-Jordan era. 

The issue isn't how good the Bulls will be this season. It's how good should we expect them to be? Since winning 49 games under Scott Skiles and advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2006-07, the Bulls' only real accomplishment has been keeping our interest. They've gone 33-49, 41-41 and 41-41 the past three seasons, but somehow they've always come up with something to convince us that they're getting somewhere:

Firing Scott Skiles created another transition period that demanded time to pay dividends; beating the draft-lottery odds to draft Derrick Rose provided them with their best player since Michael Jordan; losing valiantly to the defending World Champion (but Kevin Garnett-less) Celtics in the first round of the 2009 playoffs became an actual marketing campaign; losing in the first round of the playoffs last season was progress -- they pushed LeBron James & Co. to six games. Just wait until free agency. 

And even after losing out on James and the free agency bonanza in the offseason, it's almost like the fates have conspired to insulate the Bulls from scorn. The backlash against James since his the ill-advised "The Decision" seems to have painted the Bulls as the victim instead of the loser.

Post-decision reports -- including an inside look at James' free-agency by Yahoo.com's Adrian Wojnarowski -- portray James as a self-centered, disconnected-from-the-real-world superstar who overplayed the best hand in the world so badly that he tarnished his image forever. Good for Reinsdorf that he didn't kow-tow to James' demand for his entourage to be part of the Bulls' travel party (a report since debunked by Reinsdorf himself). And Derrick Rose is a hero for refusing to bow to the great LeBron James, neither calling him nor joining the Bulls' group that went to Cleveland to make their pitch. Suddenly Rose is being hailed as his own man. 

So even in "defeat" the Bulls will go into the 2010-11 season with their ever-faithful fans behind them -- again. I'm not saying it shouldn't be that way. They could have done a lot worse than Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer in the offseason. And a defensive-minded coach like Thibodeaux could make a big difference on a team that was not as good defensively as the numbers indicated last season. But let's not re-start the clock on the Bulls -- and Paxson -- just because of a new coach and new players. Remember, Year 13 of the post-Jordan era is about to begin. 

To a lot of White Sox fans, Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Twins on Sunday looked like the beginning of the end. Bobby Jenks imploded as he is wont to do -- allowing two walks and two hits without retiring a batter as the Sox blew a 6-3 lead in the ninth inning. Not only did their third consecutive loss put the brakes on their 26-5 run that put them in first place in the AL Central, but it gave the Twins the jump-start they needed after a 10-18 run that dropped them to third place in the division. And the Cubs beat Roy Halladay on top of it. Mercy. 

The Sox didn't appear any worse for the wear after the game. But it's not enough to act like it didn't hurt. If the actual pain hasn't subsided within 24 hours, you might be doomed. It sure adds intrigue to a road trip to Seattle.

Pardon my rationalization, but if you're going to lose a game like the Sox did on Sunday -- and every team does -- this was a pretty good time for it. They're on the road, where they won't have to read about or hear about the doomsday scenarios. And they're headed to Seattle -- against whom they're 3-0 this season -- to start a 13-game stretch against the Mariners and Athletics. If they haven't recovered in time for a double-header against the Tigers on Aug. 3 to start a four-game series, it's their own fault. 

(They don't have to face the recently departed Cliff Lee in Seattle, but it's questionable how much of an advantage that is. Lee is 6-6 with a 5.65 ERA in his career against the Sox. Except for his magical 22-3 Cy Young season of 2008, he's 5-6 with a 5.94 ERA.)

The Sox showed some slippage in the Twins series. Their defense failed them in two of the losses. Sergio Santos is parachuting back to earth after a hot start -- Santo had a 0.71 WHIP and .086 batting-average against in his first 12 games, but a 1.88 WHIP and .306 BAA in his last 21 appearances after allowing Delmon Young's game-winning hit on Sunday. And Paul Konerko, who had a fine series statistically (6-for-18, a home run and three RBI), struck out on two alarmingly weak at-bats in clutch situations on Friday and Saturday and was thrown out on the basepaths twice. 

The Cubs honored Ron Santo this week on the 50th anniversary of his debut in 1960. But it's Carlos Zambrano who enhanced my appreciation for the Cubs' longtime third baseman more than any ceremony.

Santo played with emotion and intensity, but much less selfishly than Zambrano. Santo had a will to succeed but a passion for winning. Zambrano has a will to win but a passion for Carlos Zambrano.

His latest blowup was a typically selfish act -- showing up Derrek Lee because his inability to dive for a double down the first-base line cost him a run. Most of his emotional incidents come when he's having a bad year or playing poorly or when somebody's misplay costs him an earned run.

Santo had his moments, too. But his most memorable incident was born of frustration over losing a game: the Don Young incident.

On July 8, 1969, the first-place Cubs and Fergie Jenkins were leading the Mets 3-1 in the ninth inning at Shea Stadium when Young misplayed one fly ball into a double and had another fly ball fall out of his glove as he raced back to the wall. The Mets scored three runs and won 4-3. It was the Cubs' fourth straight loss and the Mets' fifth straight win to get them within 4 1/2 games of first place. 

The Cubs were feeling the heat and Santo, the team captain, didn't help when he publicly criticized Young for -- ironically -- letting his emotions and his offensive struggles get the best of him. "He was thinking of himself, not the team," Santo told reporters after the game. "He had a bad day at the plate, and he's got his head down. Don's a major-league player because of his glove. When he hits, it's a dividend, but when he fails on defense, he's lost -- and today he took us down with him. He put his head between his legs." 

Santo's comments created a backlash that only aggravated the situation. He was ripped for publicly criticizing a rookie in the heat of a pennant race. But he came to his senses quickly. As related by former Chicago sportswriter Rick Talley in his book, "The Cubs of '69," Santo "reacted immediately and apologetically, calling Chicago writers to his hotel room the next day to explain. He had already given his personal apology to Young that morning." 

"What I said, I did not mean," Santo said. "Don being upset, upset me. I am convinced that his not hitting caused him to put his head down between his knees and forget we had a 3-1 lead. I know this is true because it has happened to me. I have fought myself when I wasn't hitting and, as a result, messed up in the field. 

"But I know I was wrong. Don has to be a great competitor to get as mad at himself as he did and to leave the clubhouse as quickly as he did. This was not good, and I said what I did because he had walked out. I want every one to know my complete sincerity in this apology." 

Santo's culpability in the Don Young incident is often cited as one of the contributing factors to the demise of the '69 Cubs. And no doubt it had an impact. Santo was booed by fans at Wrigley Field when the Cubs returned home. But the fact of the matter is that after losing to the Mets the following day, the Cubs went 18-8 over the next month to rebuild an 8-1/2 game lead in the NL East. It was only then that things fell apart so traumatically. 

Santo had let his emotions get the best of him, but hardly for selfish reasons. He was hitting .299 with 16 homers and 74 RBI at the time. He played with an emotion and passion that he couldn't always control. But he always had the Cubs at heart. Thank you, Carlos Zambrano, for reminding me of that. 

Sorry White Sox fans, but Mr. Cub is Mr. Chicago. 

Ernie Banks was an easy choice as the No. 1 Cubs player of all-time when the Sun-Times rated the top players in each of the city's major pro teams in February and March. Frank Thomas was an easy choice as the No. 1 player in Sox history. 

But in a Cubs vs. Sox list of best players on the eve of the BP Crosstown Cup series at U.S. Cellular Field this weekend, Banks gets the edge over Big Frank as the best Chicago player of all-time. And actually, it's not that close. Banks put up unprecedented numbers as a shortstop -- from 1955-60 he averaged 41 homers and 116 RBI, won two home run titles, two RBI titles and back-to-back MVP awards in 1958-59. And in 1960 he led the NL in home runs with 41 and won the Gold Glove at shortstop.

Banks extended his career by playing first base. Thomas started at first base, tired of it and extended his career as a DH. In fact, Banks played more games at first base (1,259) than Thomas (971).

But Thomas still gets his due in our position-by-position list of best Sox/Cubs of all-time. With Banks at shortstop, Thomas is the clear choice at first base over the great Dick Allen and the the Cubs' Phil Cavaretta, the pride of Lane Tech. And he deserves it. Thomas batted .275 with 29 home runs and 117 RBI per 500 at-bats as a first baseman with the White Sox. It's not like he couldn't play the position. He just preferred to hit. 

Here's the position-by-position rundown of the Best Chicago Players of All-Time: 

First base: Frank Thomas, White Sox. When he was a regular first baseman from 1991-97, Thomas averaged .330 with 36 home runs and 118 RBI and won back-to-back AL MVP awards in 1993 and 1994. Banks was no slouch as a first baseman: In eight full seasons (1962-69), he averaged .260, 25 home runs and 95 RBIs and ranked in the top 10 in RBIs in the NL six times.

Second base: Ryne Sandberg, Cubs. Tough call over the Sox' Eddie Collins and Nellie Fox. Like Banks, Sandberg was extremely versatile, a Gold Glove winner who had power (NL-leading 40 homers in 1990) and speed (19 triples in 1984, 54 stolen bases in 1985). 

Shortstop: Ernie Banks, Cubs. Luke Appling is a Hall of Famer who was No. 2 on the Sox all-time list. His .388 batting average in 1936 is the best-ever for a shortstop. Though their careers did not overlap, they are linked forever in Chicago baseball history: two Hall of Famers who played their entire careers -- a combined 40 seasons and 4,950 games -- without winning a pennant. 

Third base: Ron Santo, Cubs. Robin Ventura and Buck Weaver both were good all-around third baseman, but Santo had the toughest degree-of-difficulty: 1,049 of his 9,396 at-bats were against Hall of Fame pitchers. 

Catcher: Gabby Hartnett, Cubs. Carlton Fisk was a four-time all-star and hit 214 HRs with the Sox. But Hartnett was just as productive and played 18 seasons with the Cubs. 

Left field: Billy Williams, Cubs. Joe Jackson is the Sox' all-time leader in batting average (.340) and played on the 1917 World Series championship team. But like Fisk more of his Hall of Fame credentials came with another team. 

Center Field: Hack Wilson, Cubs. Happy Felsch was a better fielder -- a much better fielder according to historians -- but Wilson's offensive numbers are too good to ignore. 

Right field: Sammy Sosa, Cubs/Sox. Even if you adjust his numbers for the steroid era, Sosa, who hit 28 of his 609 homers for the Sox, still rates above Harold Baines and Magglio Ordonez. 

Starting pitchers: Fergie Jenkins, Cubs; Ed Walsh, Sox; Ted Lyons, Sox; Mordecai Brown, Cubs. All were in the top 10 of the Cubs/Sox Top 50 rankings. They were the picks over Ed Cicotte and Red Faber of the Sox and Charlie root and Ed Ruelbach of the Cubs. 

Relief pitcher: Bruce Sutter, Cubs. If you didn't see him when he pitched for the Cubs, it's tough to appreciate Sutter's impact as a closer. Easy choice over Hoyt Wilhelm and Bobby Thigpen. 

Milton Bradley is safely tucked away in Seattle -- and the Cubs still are as screwed up as ever. What does that tell you? 

It tells me that Tom Ricketts might have a bigger problem than he thinks. Ridding themselves of a clubhouse cancer was supposed to be addition by subtraction for the Cubs. Not only did they lose Bradley, but the bag-of-balls they got in return, a washed-up Carlos Silva, is 8-2 -- and the Cubs are STILL worse today than they ever were with Milton Bradley. The Cubs did win 83 games last year and never were more than one game below .500 with Bradley in 2009. Today they're 31-39. They've lost three of their last four, seven of their last 11; 13 of their last 20 and 26 of their last 44 games.

They can't even beat the Pirates anymore. The Cubs were 62-34 against the Pirates since 2003, including 10-4 last year with Bradley. But they're 2-7 this year against a Pittsburgh team that is even worse than in 2009. Whose fault is that?

Sometimes you get rid of the tumor and the cancer goes away. But sometimes it doesn't. The Cubs are showing all the symptoms of a team with a systemic problem. They score six runs and give up seven. They allow two runs and score one. They've committed 13 errors in their last six games. The harder they try the worse they get. Another bad sign. 

And here's yet another one: they've got it in them to be as good as they should be. The Cubs committed three errors in a 5-4 loss to the Brewers on June 10, then played three errorless games against the White Sox, then committed four errors in a 9-5 loss to the Athletics. The BP Crosstown Cup series seems to get their utmost attention. Anything else and their mind wanders. 

I'd prescribe Adderall but that won't solve the Cubs' problems any more than trading Bradley did. The Cubs are suffering from a disease that can't be cured by getting rid of Bradley or Lou Piniella or Jim Hendry. They were loveable losers for many years, but since the 2003 playoff debacle against the Marlins, they've exhibited behavior that is just strange. The final-week meltdown in 2004 that cost them a wild-card playoff spot; the playoff wipeouts in 2007 and 2008; and now another disappointing season that is driving Piniella to disinterest.

What is wrong with the Cubs? Tom Ricketts can't ignore one possibility just because he doesn't like it: that the culture of expectations, the frustration of not meeting them and the overt bitterness of Cubs fans has created an environment that is almost unwinnable. 

It's no surprise that the pitcher with the most victories this season is the one with the lowest expectations. In fact, Silva came in with negative expectations. Most players who have come in since 2003 and had success were out of the spotlight: Geovany Soto, Mike Fontenot, Ryan Theriot, Randy Wells. Marlon Byrd (.323, nine home runs, 34 RBI) did not have big shoes to fill in center field.

And why is it that so many Cubs who have come in since 2003 can't sustain success. Soto hit .285 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2008; last year he hit .218. Reed Johnson hit .303 in 2008, .255 in 2009. last year he hit .218. 

Jeff Samardzija was 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings when he first came up in 2008. He's 1-3 with a 7.96 ERA since. Randy Wells was 8-4 with a 2.73 ERA in his first 16 starts. He's 7-11 with a 4.32 ERA since. Jake Fox hit .326 in his first 31 games in 2009; he hit .215 after that. Micah Hoffpauir, Kevin Hart, Sam Fuld, Bobby Scales ... they all had immediate success and tailed off. It happens to every team, but with suspicious regularity with the Cubs.

So keep an eye on Starlin Castro, Tyler Colvin and Andrew Cashner. They're three of the new-breed of Cubs rookies in the Tim Wilken era who are supposed to change all that.

Castro hit .375 in his first 13 games but is hitting .206 in 28 games since. Colvin is hitting .299 with eight home runs and 22 RBI in 117 at-bats, but is 1-for-9 in his last three games. Cashner has a 0.00 ERA in his first seven big-league appearances.

They've still got a lot to prove. More than they know. 

On paper, the Sox are the second-hottest team in baseball, having won six straight games and 10 of their last 11 to reach the .500 mark (34-34), still 5 1/2 games behind the Twins and four behind the Tigers in the AL Central. (The Rangers have won eight straight and 11 of 12). 

The big question is whether or not this is fool's gold. The bulk of the Sox' recent streak has come against the Cubs, Pirates and Nationals. The Cubs are in a season-long funk, losing 12 of their last 19 games; the Pirates have lost 18 of their last 23, including 12 in a row; the Nationals have lost 15 of their last 21 -- three of their six victories in that span came against the Pirates. 

There's no doubt that interleague play is a drop in class for American League teams. It has been for years and this one is no different. The AL leads the NL 92-76 so far in 2010. American League pitchers in particular have an easier time against National League teams -- and vice-versa. Roy Halladay is 8-3 with a 1.51 ERA against NL teams this season. He's 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA against the AL. And he's been in the National League for less than three months. 

This is old hat for Sox fans. In 2008, a 12-6 record in interleague play helped keep them afloat in the AL Central and they barely hung on to win the division title. Last year the Sox were 28-33 when interleague play (they were 12-6 again) sparked a 15-5 run that put them 2 1/2 games back in the division. The momentum kept them in contention until August, when they lost nine of 10 against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins and were done. 

But as dubious as the competition has been of late, the current streak has a better feel to it this year. The Sox are winning because they've been playing better baseball -- and not just because they're playing weaker competition. Stephen Strasburg literally looked like Sandy Koufax on Friday night and the Sox found a way to win. I don't recall that happening too often in previous years. 

In the current 10-1 streak, the Sox have won with timely pitching, timely hitting and timely defense. They're 4-1 in one-run games (14-8 for the season). They've won four games with three runs or less.

They've pitched 32 of 34 scoreless innings with a one-run lead. They've allowed 14 runs in 11 games after the fourth inning -- eight of them while they had leads of four runs or more. 

They're scoring runs for Freddy Garcia (55 in his last nine starts) and playing defense for Jake Peavy. When Garcia allowed three runs to fall behind 3-1 against the Nationals on Sunday, the Sox responded with six straight hits and four runs for a 5-3 lead. The Nationals didn't score again. 

Yes it was the Nationals. And the Cubs. And the Pirates. But I would submit that while the Sox aren't as good as Kenny Williams thought, they've been an underachieving team all season. Sometimes a team like that just needs a little boost to get them on track. Of course you have to see it to believe it -- this is the White Sox we're talking about. But I have a feeling this season is not over yet. 

There have been more than a few mistakes - mostly misspellings --  on the Stanley Cup in its 118-year history. Dale Tallon's name not being on it would be as big as any of them.

Tallon, ousted as the Hawks' general manager prior to this season, wasn't forgotten during the Hawks' historic run to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. (Kudos to Tallon's successor Stan Bowman -- in no less awkward a position as Tallon, having replaced him in a controversial move with his father's imprint on it -- for sincerely and personally acknowledging Tallon's role during the playoffs).) Hawks president John McDonough said Tallon will get a Hawks championship ring. Good for him.

But there's one indelible step the Hawks can take to give Tallon the credit he truly deserves: having his name engraved with the rest of the players, coaches and staff members who made it all possible. 

It's hard to refute the notion that the Hawks' championship validated the equally controversial move of firing Denis Savard as coach and replacing him with Joel Quenneville. But Tallon's dismissal was wrong then and is just as wrong now. The Hawks might not have won with Savard behind the bench. But they certainly would have won with Tallon as GM. 

When it comes to identifying those who took the Hawks from the muck of NHL bottom-feeders to the Stanley Cup, Tallon's name is No. 1 on the list. Followed by Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Denis Savard, Stan Bowman and Rocky Wirtz. With all due respect, John McDonough and Scotty Bowman are further down the list. 

McDonough's contributions can't be ignored -- getting home games on TV, the Hawks convention, reconnecting legends Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito with the franchise. But the Hawks would have won the Stanley Cup without them. 

Scotty Bowman is the greatest hockey coach of all time. He undoubtedly made an impact on the Hawks. But let's not overstate it. Quenneville could have been sitting next to Terry Bevington on the plane home from Philadelphia after Game 4 and the Hawks still would have won the Stanley Cup. For the record, Quenneville changed up the lines during Game 4. It was the success he had with it in the third period of the 5-3 loss that encouraged him to continue it in Game 5. 

And the whole line-changing angle is overstated. The one common thread throughout the playoffs is that the Hawks turned it on and grasped control of a series when they absolutely had to. They did that in each series. The only time they did it early was against San Jose, when starting on the road created urgency earlier than the others.

Changing up the lines against the Flyers in the Finals was tactically brilliant, but more a signal that -- down 4-1 in Game 4 -- enough was enough and it was time to turn it on. The Hawks were going to outplay the Flyers from that point on no matter who was on which line. That's why Chris Pronger was stopping everybody in Games 1-4 and nobody in Games 5-6. 

The line changes magnified the effect. But that's because the Hawks were not only the deepest team in the playoffs, but the most versatile. Other teams changed lines against the Hawks without success. It worked for Quenneville because anybody could play with anybody. Patrick Sharp moved to center. Dustin Byfuglien from defense to forward. So many two-way players. So many grinders who could score on a breakaway or fire a slap shot past a goalie without any "traffic" in front of the net. 

It was a special team in that regard, with a combination of speed, depth and versatility we'll probably not see for awhile. 

And who was most responsible for that?

Dale Tallon. His name should be on the Cup.

Patrick Kane scoring an ugly goal by putting the puck on the net -- what a fitting conclusion to a glorious run to the Stanley Cup for the Blackhawks.

From the start of the playoffs against Nashville, the challenge for the Hawks was clear: transitioning from an aesthetic, fleet team that specializes in "pretty" goals to a grindy, fleet team that scores like everybody else in the playoffs: by screening goaltenders and firing as many shots on net as they can. 

And nobody symbolized the challenge like Kane, whose dazzling moves with the puck are great theater in the regular season, but relatively unproductive in the postseason. Kane scored most of his 10 playoff goals the hard way. He scored the Hawks' first goal of the playoffs by crashing the net against Nashville and he scored their last goal of the playoffs on a bad-angle shot that somehow found a way between Michael Leighton's legs and into Hawks history. The lesson: you don't always have to hit the back of the net. Sometimes the side of the net under the padding of the goal will do. 

Kane's overtime goal that clinched the Hawks' first Stanley Cup since 1961 will go down as the most dramatic moment in the history of the franchise, eclipsing Harold "Mush" March's game-winner in double-overtime against the Red Wings that clinched the Hawks' first Stanley Cup in 1934. Like the 5-4 March, Kane is a relatively little guy at 5-10. And like March he has a knack for scoring big goals in big games. And for what it's worth, March's first Cup with the Hawks was not his last. He also played a key role on the team that won it in 1938. Even in a completely different era, it's not difficult to see Kane and the Hawks hoisting another Cup as well. 

Here's a look at 10 Memorable Moments from the Hawks' 2010 Stanley Cup Championship run: 

10. Antti Niemi's glove save on Ryane Clowe. 

On a San Jose power play in a 1-1 game in the opener of the Western Conference finals, the Sharks put the heat on Niemi, who came up with one save after another, but none bigger than on Clowe, who had an open net on a rebound before Niemi's left arm swooped over to grab the puck just before it crossed the goal line. It was one of 44 saves Niemi made in a 2-1 victory that marked the Hawks as the team to beat. Without a power play and with Niemi facing a 45-shot barrage, they beat the No. 1 seed on the road.

9. Dustin Byfuglien's goal beats the Sharks in Game 1. 

After scoring four goals against Vancouver in the conference semifinals -- and getting more disdain than praise from the opposition -- Byfuglien showed off his versatility in  Game 1 against the Sharks in the Western Conference final when he fired a wrist shot past Evgeni Nabokov for a 2-1 lead with 6:45 to play in Game 1. It was Hawks playoff simplicity at its best: Jonathan Toews won a faceoff. Patrick Kane won a puck battle along the boards. And the 6-4, 257-pound Byfuglien, after a feed from Kane, showed he's more than a big lug who picks up garbage goals in front of the net. 

8. Daniel Carcillo takes out teammate Jeff Carter in the Finals. 

It was the Keystone Kops moment of the postseason. Philadelphia Flyers instigator Daniel Carcillo got a full head of steam trying to take out the Hawks' Tomas Kopecky in open ice near the blue line. But Kopecky sidestepped the hit and Carcillo instead collided violently with  teammate Jeff Carter, who had a full head of steam coming from the other side. Carter went down, Kopecky didn't have a scratch on him and jawed with Carcillo on and off the ice. Hawks instigator Adam Burish, miked up for NBC, added insult to injury: "That's your best hit of the season," he told Carcillo. 

7. Dustin Byfuglien's game-winner in OT against the Sharks.

The Hawks had taken a 2-1 lead in the third period of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at the United Center on Dave Bolland's breakaway goal off a blocked shot by Jonathan Toews with 6:55 to play. Patrick Marleau scored with 4:13 left to send the game into overtime. But Byfuglien, charging into the slot, took a perfect feed from Bolland behind the net and surprised Evegeni Nabokov for a 3-2 victory and 3-0 lead in the series. It was Byfuglien's seventh goal in the last seven games and third game-winner.

6. Dustin Byfuglien takes out Kimmo Timonen and referee Dan O'Halloran with one shot. 

Shut down by the Flyers and Chris Pronger through the first four games of the finals, Byfuglien awoke in Game 5. He not only scored two goals, but also had nine hits -- 10, actually. On one play late in the third period with the Hawks leading 5-3, Byfuglien checked Timonen and O'Halloran into the boards at the same time, sending both of them to the ice and drawing a huge cheer from the United Center crowd. 

5. Dustin Byfuglien hit on Chris Pronger. 

Pronger was dominating the series and getting the best of Byfuglien until Game 5 turned things around. Not only did Byfuglien score two goals in a 7-4 victory that gave the Hawks a 3-2 series lead, but Pronger was on the ice for six of the Hawks goals and in the penalty box for the other one, which Byfuglien scored from in front of the net.  But his first shot was the best -- a hit on Pronger that knocked the 6-6 Flyers' star defenseman to the ice. From that point on, the series and that matchup belonged to Byfuglien.

4. Kris Versteeg's game-winning goal vs. the Canucks. 

It might have been the most precarious position the Hawks were in during the entire postseason. After losing 5-1 in Game 1 of the conference semifinals at the United Center, the Hawks were down 2-0 after 5:02 of Game 2. But Brent Seabrook responded quickly with a goal, Patrick Sharp tied it with a shorthanded goal with 13:11 left in the third period and Versteeg fired a shot from the left faceoff circle past Roberto Luongo with 1:30 left in regulation for a 3-2 lead. Patrick Kane added an empty-net goal for a 4-2 victory that got the Hawks back on their feet. 

3. Marian Hossa's goal in overtime beats the Predators. 

Hossa could have gotten a game misconduct and a suspension after pushing Nashville's Dan Hamhuis into the boards in the waning moments of Game 5 at the United Center, but received only a five-minute major for boarding. It ended up being a key factor when Hossa came out of the penalty box in overtime to score the winning goal. Brent Sopel's shot from the point deflected off the Predators' Joel Ward right to Hossa at the corner of the net for an easy tap-in that gave the Hawks a 3-2 series lead. 

2. Patrick Kane's miracle-comeback goal vs. the Predators. 

The Hawks were losing 4-3 with a minute left and in danger of falling behind 3-2 in the series against Nashville with an elimination game in Nashville after Hossa's penalty. But after the Predators' Martin Erat ill-advisedly gave up the puck in his own end trying for a power-play goal, Patrick Kane scored a shorthanded goal with 14 seconds left, tapping in a rebound of a shot by Jonathan Toews, to tie the game and ignite the United Center crowd like few have seen before. 

1. Patrick Kane's overtime goal clinches the Cup. 

It's the play that made all the others count. The Hawks had dominated the puck in Game 6 against the Flyers and led 3-2 after Andrew Ladd deflected a Niklas Hjalmarsson slap shot past Michael Leighton with 2:17 left in the second period. They were five minutes from winning the Cup when Scott Hartnell scored with 4:59 left in regulation and sent the game into overtime. But Kane drove the left side of the ice and fired a shot from a bad angle that scooted between Leighton's legs and into the net to end a 49-year Stanley Cup drought. It was Kane's 10th goal of the postseason, an array that included tip-ins, slap shots, one on a dump-in by Brent Seabrook that deflected off his skate and into a vacated net, power-play goals, shorthanded and even-strength and an empty-net goal.