Labor Daze for White Sox After Being Swept

Monday meanderings: If the Chicago White Sox fail to win the American League Central or at least a postseason berth, they will know who is responsible. Themselves. Assuming accountability resides in the Sox clubhouse. Besides accountability, the inability to deal with the Detroit Tigers will rank right up there. The Tigers lead the season series 10-4 after a weekend three-game sweep of the visiting Sox. On the bright (???) side, the Sox still have a piece of the division lead.

September does have its bright spots. Case in point: Playboy.com Cyber GIrl Megan Medellin.

* Sox fans can complain all they want about any effusive praise ESPN heaped on Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander, who yielded a leadoff home run but no more in Detroit’s 4-1 victory Sunday night (Sept. 2). Something says there’s nothing that could quell the complaining quite like putting Verlander in a Sox uniform.

* With the biggest series of the season over, the Sox will have an even bigger one Sept. 10-13 when Detroit comes to Chicago. As the schedule gets smaller in number of games, those contests increase in importance. As if you have to tell that to Sox fans.

* On the bright side for the Sox (yes, there’s actually a bright side — at least theoretically), the Minnesota Twins visit the Sox for a series starting Monday. The Sox are 9- 3 vs. the Twins this season. Meaning some Sox fans out there in cyberspace can come off the ledge — at least for a few days (OK, a few hours perhaps?).

* As for the Cubs? Does it really matter? They lost at home to the Giants 7-5 and ended up their season series with San Francsco 1-6. Rookie outfielder Brett Jackson was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He has 42 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. Which means if you take away his strikeouts, he is hitting .381 when he puts the ball in play (16-for-42). Yes, that is irrational and illogical thinking. Meaning some Cubs fans out there in cyberspace probably are feeling good about Jackson’s chances.

Candace Parker was neither dressed like this or smiling like this after the Los Angeles Sparks lost to the Chicago Sky at Allstate Arena.

Deja vu all over again? The Chicago Sky looked as if it was following a familiar — and losing — script in Sunday’s WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. This time, however, after rallying from a double-digit deficit only to fall behind again, the Sky rallied again and ended up with an 85-74 victory.

The triumph put the Sky (10-16) in a tie with the New York Liberty for fourth place — the final playoff spot — in the Eastern Conference. The teams meet Friday in New York.

“It’s always fun to play at home but unfortunately, we took a loss today,” said Sparks center Candace Parker, who is from Naperville. “That second half, and especially the third quarter, they killed us.”

The Sky outscored L.A. 27-13 in the third quarter and 25-18 in the fourth after trailing 43-33 at halftime.

Sky guard Epiphanny Prince had a team-high 17 points and career-high nine assists. Guard Courtney Vandersloot, who was in early foul trouble, scored all of her 15 points — including 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:04 — in the second half. Also in double figures were Sylvia Fowles (14), Swin Cash and Shay Murphy with 13 each and Tamera Young with 11.

Former Sky guard Kristi Toliver led the Sparks (19-8) with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Alana Beard had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Parker had 15 points and nine assists.

The Sky had 25 assists on 32 baskets, as it was better at moving the ball around rather than try to force it into Fowles.

“It was just good to go out there and get a win,” Fowles said. “It felt good to go out there and get a win where everyone contributed and excelled.”

Until the cloning department at elliottharris.com perfects a technique for such endeavors, it will remain impossible for your humble correspondent to be more than one place at a given time. Thankfully, there are other people who occasionally can provide valuable content.

Such is the case with friend Mike Neumann, who happened to be at the INBA Natural Universe International Natural Bodybuilding Competition Saturday (Sept. 1) at Bolingbrook High. He posted some videos that merit inclusion in today’s effort:

Another September song, for those musically inclined. A little sadness, so it might be fitting for Sox fans (depending how September ends):

OK, we need to end on a slightly more upbeat note than that. How about Playby’s September Cyber Girl Megan Medellin:

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