Chicago White Sox pitching ace Chris Sale is getting bludgeoned by members of the media for turning into Christopher Scissorhands over the weekend and singlehandedly destroying throwback uniforms the White Sox were to wear last Saturday night.
And rightfully so.
Yes, Sale (14-3, 3.18 ERA) is one of baseball's best pitchers. He was the starter for the American League in the July 12 All-Star Game, and he is by far the most valuable asset the White Sox have.
Yes, he has a right to complain about wearing a uniform that looks like it was used at the turn of the century (the 19th century).
Yes, he was out of line.
"Nobody can defend that kind of petulance from Sale and no amount of talent affords a grown man the luxury of behaving like such a child," wrote David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
Haugh, of course, went on to commend the White Sox for fining Sale, suspending him and docking him five days without pay, and sending him off the premesis after his meltdown.
But even Haugh had to admit some folks might be secretly applauding the actions of Sale.
"Sale should be considered a hero to the baseball fashion world because of how awful those 1976 jerseys look. Talk about winning ugly. They remain eyesores four decades later, and the whole throwback jersey craze seems more about making profit than honoring the past."
Haugh notes that the White Sox should not be absolved of all blame.
"The Sox didn't necessarily hand Sale the pair of scissors but deserve a limited share of culpability too. Both sides made regrettable decisions related to timing. The Sox's came in not reminding Sale before Saturday about the promotion that would require him to wear something out of Wilbur Wood's closet."
Scalded ball
PGA Tour journeyman Steve Wheatcroft was on the verge of securing a whole lot of money and job security before he bogeyed the 17th hole in the final round of the Canadian Open on Sunday to fall into a tie for the lead.
Needing a birdie at the par-5 18th to tie Jhonattan Vegas and force a playoff, Wheatcroft was in the greenside bunker in two and faced what seemed to be a straightforward shot. Instead, Wheatcroft misjudged the amount of sand under his ball and bladed it over the green into the water.
He took a drop from the hazard, two-putted for bogey and a closing 69 that left him tied for fifth, two shots behind Vegas.
Essentially, Wheatcroft, 38, blew about $800,000 with the bogeys on 17 and 18, and that's hard to swallow for a guy who is trying to retain playing privileges on the PGA Tour.
Wheatcroft entered the week at No. 153 in the FedEx Cup standings, and the closing bogey means he is still outside the top 125 and in danger of a return to the Web.com Tour Finals with only four regular-season events remaining.
"It's a brutal way to lose a golf tournament," Wheatcroft said. "I didn't feel like I did much wrong in there. ... I'm sure I had a little nerves going, but I knew the bunker shot was easy. Just wish there would have been sand underneath."
QUIZ
Wilbur Wood was a 20-game loser twice in 13 years with the Chicago White. How many times did he win 20 games?
ANSWER
Four times
Sports on 07/26/2016