UP AND DOWN

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28, 2012                                                         PAGE A1

END COMES EARLY FOR SOX

'DANGER' PROMISED FOR 2013

BY PAT DORWIN

SPORTSWRITER

CHICAGO DAILY SUN

CHICAGO - LAST YEAR, THEY WERE THE CHASEES.

FOR 2012, THE WHITE SOX REVERSED ROLE BY BEING CHASERS - BUT IT WAS THE SAME RESULT:  DISAPPOINTMENT.

WHEN SHORTSTOP ADRIAN FERNANDEZ DROVE A DEEP BALL FRIDAY NIGHT WITH TWO ON AND TWO OUT IN THE FINAL FRAME IT WAS FEAST OR FAMINE. INSTEAD OF MATCHING HIS UNIFORM NUMBER WITH HIS 33RD DINGER, THE BALL MADE IT AS FAR AS THE WARNING TRACK BEFORE A MINNESOTA OF LET IT DROP SAFELY INTO HIS GLOVE.

THE DEFEAT DROPPED CHICAGO (81-76) NINE GAMES BACK OF AL CENTRAL DIVISION LEADER CLEVELAND AND SEVEN BEHIND WILD CARD LEADER KANSAS CITY 88-69, NOW A PAIR OF GAMES IN FRONT OF TEXAS (86-71).

'IT'S ON THE SUCKY SIDE," SAID FERNANDEZ, THE 24-YEAR-OLD SECOND-YEAR PLAYER. "LAST YEAR (2011), WE CHOKED. UNFORTUNATELY WE HEVER HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY, WE JUST COULDN'T LAND THE PUNCHES AND MOVE UP IN THE STANDINGS.

"I PROMISE WELL BRING IN THE DANGER NEXT SEASON."

ROOKIE MANAGER ROGER AVILES, HIRED LATE FOR THIS SEASON AFTER LONG-TIME MANAGER OZZIE GUILLEN BELATEDLY BECAME SEATTLE'S FARM DIRECTOR, HAS FIVE GAMES WITH BRAND NEW LINEUPS DUE TO GLANCE AT 2013.

"ROGER CAME INTO A TOUGH SITUATION," SAID AN AL SCOUT. "HE WAS SOLID AND I REALLY THINK LARRY FEENEY GETS TL GN OF THE YEAT FOR THE SECOND STRAGHT SEASON.

"HE AGAIN MADE SOME FANTISTIC DEALS BUT IN THE END, CHICAGO'S HUGE INJURY COUNT BEAT THE SOX DOWN."

LOUIS FITZGERALD, A 19-YEAR-OLD SOPHOMORE PITCHER, STARTS TONIGHT'S GAME VERSUS THE ROYALS.

AVILA SAID HE EXPECTS P JON LESTER (20-5, 2.89), THE LEADING CANDIDATE FOR THE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AS WELL AS RUNAWAY CY YOUNG AWARD FRONTRUNNER, TO GET ONE MORE START.

OTHER PLAYERS LOOKING TO HOLD ONTO STRONG SEASON MARKS OR EXTEND OR EQUAL MILESTONES NCLUDE 25-YEAR-OLD 3B PEDRO ALVAREZ, HITTNG AN EVEN .300, MATT HOLLIDAY (100 RUNS SCORED), AARON CONNOR, 19, THREE RUNS SHY OF THE CENTURY MARK FOR RUNS TO GO ALONG WITH A TEAM-LEADING 101 RBIs.

CONNOR LEADS THE TEAM WTH 38 HOMERS, WHILE MATT HOLLIDAY, FERNANDEZ. AND WILSON BETAMIT  (96 RBIs) ALL HAVE 30 OR MORE. ADAM LIND HAS 29.

FEENEY'S TRADES THAT SEEMINGLY WENT SO WELL WITH THE TEAM'S POTENT OFFENSIVE, SAW ANY PICTHERS WHO WERE ACQUIRED SUFFER SERIOUS INJURIES.

"PLUS, THE SOX HAD A BUNCH OF GUYS BACK-STEP OFFENSIVELY, PUTTING EVEN MORE PRESSURE ON A BELEAGURED PITCHING STAFF," THE SCOUT SAYS. "CHICAGO STILL MADE A NICE RUN OF IT - THEY JUST HAPPENED TO DO IT AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME A COULE OF DIVISION OPPONENTS (CLEVELAND AND KANSAS CITY) DID THE SAME/