You Can’t Fold When You Go All-In

I hold a weekend card game at my place every so often. Buy-in is never more than 10 bucks, maybe drain $5 or $10 more on a rebuy.

I don’t play with the big boys by any means, but I know the rules.

And we all play by the same rules.

When you push every chip in your stack to the middle of the pot, you don’t retract your bet after the flop.

Baseball isn’t poker, but what embarrassing legacy would that leave on the team that claimed to be “all-in” then traded its second best hitter in hopes of a Triple-A miracle?

Dayan Viciedo can be really good (and still is not healthy), but can he drive in 30-40 runs down the stretch like Carlos Quentin will? Doubtful.

Rumors are flying about Carlos Quentin’s availability, but it would be an absolute white flag, which Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen would refuse to do, I would hope, being just a stone’s throw from first place.

Carlos Quentin should not and will not be traded before the July 31 non-waiver deadline because there is no other source of production that can match his down a very important stretch.

Though the Edwin Jackson trade involved a big name, it wasn’t Williams’ surrender. Jesse Crain a bit of relief in the ‘pen, and Chicago area-native Jason Frasor could become a White Sox household name if he can get outs.

Kenny reinforced the bullpen and brought some flexibility to the payroll, he wasn’t cleaning house.

Unless the Braves’ offer is really sweet, I’m sure they’ll have to look elsewhere for the bat they’re trying to add to keep pace with the Phillies and Giants.

Trading Carlos Quentin would really reduce the Sox’s odds of surviving the turn and the river.