The One-Hitter #74

This is the One-Hitter, don’t forget to exhale.

ELOY!!

As a fan of the White Sox I couldn’t be more thrilled that Eloy Jimenez will be in a White Sox uni for the lid-lifter on March 28th in Kansas City.  One thing that has come up some is Eloy wanting to wear #74, to sort of blaze his own trail.  It’s a small thing, but Eloy also wrote an article for the Player’s Tribune some months back detailing how ready he was to be a major leaguer.  These things have sort of slapped me on the fanny (more accurately, the back sac) as I have been one of the folks yelling at the top of my nasally sounding voice, as the White Sox try and send us more “character” guys (fucking “character” guys)……..

“WE NEED MORE ASS KICKERS, LESS CHARACTER GUYS!!!”

Eloy is very likely an ASS KICKER in the traditional sense, he’s going to crush baseballs and make us all short term happy whenever we have the chance to see him either on TV or in person.  But he might also be an ASS KICKER in the less conventional sense of the word, a principled dude who wants to blaze his own trail, on and off the field.  A player who’s very presence is going to lift up the performance of those around him by his demeanor and work ethic.  A player outspoken enough to let you hear his voice and not let media narratives rule the day on him.  That second type of ASS KICKER is the real CHARACTER GUY.  The type of player that is going to carry his performance and that of his team as part of his identity and emote to us when it is necessary.  I like ASS KICKERS who are CHARACTER GUYS.  I like Eloy Jimenez, I’m glad he’s here.