It's hard to stay positive when things aren't going your way. At least that's the mentality you'd expect from a Chicago White Sox team that's four losses away from cementing itself as the worst to ever play this game.
Earlier this week, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan shared his experience of spending 24 hours with the Chicago White Sox and revealed that isn't exactly the case.
The article included conversations with players and staff in the clubhouse, giving us a new perspective from the human beings at the center of this circus.
Pitcher Davis Martin apparently can't help but laugh at the team's knack for constantly finding themselves trending on social media. Garrett Crochet and Jonathan Cannon agree there has been a lot of misfortune and lack of luck for things to consistently go in the opponents' favor.
And interim manager Grady Sizemore knows just as much as anybody that sometimes this is the way baseball goes. Yet, everybody knows that sulking in the misery won't change the outcome.
""You have to have a sense of humor," Martin said. "You walk that fine line of being on the edge of losing your mind -- always on that razor's edge. We're just watching it all, and we're like, oh my gosh, this happens and this happens. Truly, it's so many things."Davis Martin
The players have been trying. Yes, you read that right.
Despite their lack of wins and uninspiring style of play, these White Sox have tried. "We're a bunch of young idiots just trying to make sure we have a job next year," said Martin. The last part of this statement is the most important.
Major League players are employees just like the rest of us. They want to stay in this league and make the most of their time, even when things aren't going right.
The frustration mounts when fans feel there isn't enough being done to change the narrative. Perhaps it's spending money in free agency, for others it's hiring the right manager or getting a change of ownership, which is what Sox fans would love most. However, amidst all the theories and speculation on what could be next for the organization we might be losing sight on the toll it takes on the players.
The face of a man who got traded from the Dodgers to the White Sox pic.twitter.com/0pMAuXPDCx
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General Manager Chris Getz has said, "These guys have shown up every day looking to compete knowing each game may be an uphill battle. There aren't a lot of wins in our record. We're looking to find wins in development, and the best way to do that is to have the best attitude possible about where we're growing and what we're learning."
A recent article by The Athletic exposed a lot of outdated practices still being used by owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
His approach to directing the operations of the ballclub involves using his baseball knowledge and judgment along with leaning on those around him, people he's hired who share his traditional outlook on the sport.
With an owner unwilling to adapt and constantly making all the wrong moves, how can we not expect the players to play the way they have?
Don't get me wrong, this team isn't good. I'm not saying Passan's article justifies the way they've played nor do I think their record is a result of bad luck. What I do believe is that the players should be commended for appearing to show signs of sanity despite it all. Winning and its effects are contagious but the same applies to losing.
On an episode of the Dan Patrick Show after the article was published Passan admitted, "I'll be honest man when I went there it was not depressing. It was actually, in a way, a little bit heartening that these guys are still trying and that they still care [...]."