Being tired tomorrow will be well worth it

Anybody remember this scene after Carlos Quentin hit a game-winning homer against the Rangers on July 23?

You ask Swisher if he was happy to see Quentin hit that home run.

No, he says.

"I wanted to hit the home run," Swisher says.

Swish was joking, of course, but he finally got to be the hero last night.

I think it was Simmons that once said you can tell if a baseball team is going to be successful by looking at their post-walk-off celebrations. That logic is retarded, obviously, but the Sox looked like the happiest bunch of dudes ever when Swisher rounded third base. I’m sure the fact that Swish hit the walk-off had a little to do with such a crazy celebration- did anyone see Toby Hall try to carry him off the field?-, but I think it’s abundantly clear that these White Sox really like each other. Does chemistry matter in baseball? Probably not, because it’s such an individual sport, but it’s still good to see as things as the division race is about to start heating up big time.

I’ve maintained all along that the Sox are going to win this division by at least five games, and I still stand by that, even as the Central has never been tighter. The return of Scott Linebrink will be a huge boost to the bullpen, and I already trust Jenks, Dotel, and Thornton. Four dependable relievers is as many or more than any other team in the majors, and a good bullpen is always key in the playoffs.

The biggest concern right now is clearly the performance of the starters, who have been terrible lately. Floyd has bad again last night, and we can only this isn’t the start of a big regression. But I still have faith in Buehrle, Vazquez (for some reason), and Danks.

Also, Quentin is just an animal. You knew that already, but it’s worth saying as much as possible.

***
Check out my list of ten players that will have an impact on baseball’s division races in the final two months over at Top Ten.