White Sox: Ouch! That Michael Kopech injury hurt the fans too

As Michael Kopech works through the pain of his Tommy John surgery, so too are White Sox fans reconciling the pain of their own disappointment.

White Sox rookie Michael Kopech recently had Tommy John surgery. Boy, that call up sure was necessary. 14.1 innings of absolute nirvana. The rebuild is almost over! Yay team!

One of my friends called after the injury was announced and said he literally felt like he was going to throw up. Ah, reality. That hard thing we White Sox fans just felt upside our heads is the ground as we returned to it.

I relished all the press coverage rationalizing that this couldn’t have been avoided and that the call-up had NOTHING to do with the injury. They’re apparently unrelated, therefore fan criticism has no place here – according to those in the know. (Remember, this is a blog by fans, for fans). It feels like the team wants to just say, “Shut up.” while its collective press is sheepishly following behind in obligatory support.

There are two things I’m dying to know: 1) Why did he need to be called up? and 2) Are we all happy now?

Rick Hahn is accountable for the decision and has his reasons, but many in the sports world including most White Sox fans and a few village idiots could likely have come up with a few reasons of their own why maybe it shouldn’t have happened.

In a post I wrote on August 2^nd I predicted he wouldn’t be called up. Hahahaha. LOL. Funny me. How stupid am I? Welp, now I’m COL (crying out loud) and the team might actually be, too. The game’s top pitching prospect just had reconstructive surgery on his elbow and no one really knows how this might affect him. Good stuff!

The only way this could be worse is if Eloy Jimenez could also have been called up and had his right leg torn off by a pack of wild dogs in Lot G, and the only thing worse than that would be the team’s best eight players banned from the game for life due to gambling on baseball.

Such is life as a White Sox fan. We all know it’s true. Kopech didn’t need to be called up. Impatience and overambition likely contributed to if not directly caused this outcome.

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• Looking at the potential of White Sox prospect Oscar Colas

Pardon me while I detach from reality in a theme of mental wellness and deliver a paragraph of complete whitespace as I just need some time to myself (and don’t know what the hell to say next anyway).

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Partially back… and to follow that, humor me as I navigate through a series of physical and emotional states to reach rock bottom before trying to work my way back. Here goes, and I will list them in experiential succession:  shock, awe, denial, grief, anger, fear, sadness, uncertainty, doubt, skepticism, hysterical laughter, indecipherable babblings, deep melancholy, severe depression, detachment from reality, suspension of optimism, death of hope, psychotic break, loss of motor functions, slowed brainwave activity, and finally complete end of all matter, time and space.

Oh well. Time to be hopeful.

Kopech will be back eventually, healed and as right as right can be. It will take a while, but maybe this is what we all need to force patience. Maybe while he’s away he’ll develop a knuckler and come back to start 49 games while pitching 376.2 innings as the incredible Wilbur Wood did in 1972.

Fast forward 20 years to an older version of myself. Boy (slapping my knee), 2018. Those were the days! Good times. There was this kid, Michael Kopech, and he was incredible. You should have seen him pitch. He had a fastball that nearly burned through the catcher’s mitt. Yeah, he blew out his elbow – but it wasn’t anybody’s fault! It has nothing to do with his unnecessary late season call up! Thank God I got to see him pitch, that’s all that matters. Those 14.1 innings were unbelievable! You had to see it.

Hopefully, you didn’t blink.