Hawk here.  Don’t wanna say I told you so. But I said it.  Now, I might be a lotta things to a whole lotta people.  Some good.  Some great.  But one thing that Hawk Harrelson ain’t is a told-you-soer.  Hawk’s got class.  Like a university.  One of those Ivy League schools.  Brick buildings.  Hippie chicks.  Mary Jane.  Pure class.  Now, some people, when they get it right, they like to tell everyone.  Think they’re all that.  Like to walk around with their peter hanging out all noodle-like.  Just for making a guess. Newsflash, fella — being right doesn’t fix what’s wrong with you.  Take it from the Hawk.  There’s more to life than that.

See, Deej and I were sitting in a Chipotle restaurant, and I gotta say, Chipotle’s got some great food.  Had myself a chicken burrito that was muy bueno, as they say.  I love those beans.  And I was talking to Deej about life and living life.  And I said to Deej, I said, Deej, what you gotta understand is that there’s more going on in the world than this.  There are countries in the world that don’t have running water, or air conditioning, or HBO on their television.  There are kids having their own kids.  Parents having affairs in front of their kids.  Kids doing drugs with their parents.  People giving each other abortions and illegal music.  There’s all sorts of messed up stuff going on in the world today, and you’re just sitting there eating a sad old taco when you could’ve had a delicious burrito.  It’s like you’re sleepwalking, Deej.  You’re sleepwalking through the best years of your life in the greatest country in the world.  Wake up, son!  Wake up!  And he went up to the counter and he ordered himself a delicious burrito.  And it was delicious.  And I said, told ya so.  Gotta call it like I see it.

But, anyway, good guys.  First place.  Running like a well-oiled machine.  Vroom vroom.  Three guys on pace for 30+ homers?  Four guys with 10+ wins?  In the top 5 in offense and pitching?  All in a day’s work for the best team in baseball.  Sure, they don’t have the best record.  They might not have the superstars.  And they’re not the fastest guys around.  And they like a bit of the freaky stuff — better not strap that down.  But you know what the ChiSox have that other teams don’t?  Little thing missing in today’s world.  Little thing that gets lost with all the money and egos flying around.  Little thing called pride.  You watch these guys play, day in, day out.  Tell me they don’t leave it on the field.  Brown bag.  Tell me they don’t go back out there the next day, pick it up, and leave it all there again.  That’s pride.  That’s professionalism.  That’s the stuff of baseball.  Stuff of Chicago White Sox baseball.  Have some.

But you know what?  No one knows about us.  That’s right.  Little old Chicago beating the world, and no one even knows.  Turn on the TV, and folks are doing anything but talking about the little White Sox that could.  Well, let me do a little talking here.  I don’t wanna know about some first-place yahoos letting a guy jake around the bases like some drunk hobo.  I don’t wanna hear about some overpaid jock getting his pipes cleaned behind his wife’s back.  I don’t care about contract negotiations or aggravated assault or foreign beanball wars.  I just care about a ball, a bat, some dirt, some hustle, and a tiny little ballfield named after a fine phone company here on the South Side.  I’m telling ya, these kids are gonna make 2005 look like a trip to the poop chute doctor. Hawk’s feeling a sweep this year.  Twelve up, twelve down.  Or eleven.  It’s just numbers.  Perfectorino.  Put it on the board.

Go Sox.

Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson has a rather large nose.