From the Back Porch: Swisher Sweet - Light it Up!

By: Bert Beiswanger

Last night, a little after the midnight hour (Indianapolis time), I packed it in for the night. The White Sox were heading into the 13th inning against Detroit, and I had given all the time I had to give for the game. Having listened to quite a bit of it while relaxing on the back porch, then watching a large portion of the second half of the game on TV, I was convinced I had once again invested too much time in a team that was spiraling out of control.

The way Fernando Rodney was mowing them down for Detroit in his three innings of Rolaids style relief, I wasn’t sure the Sox had anything left in the tank. By the way, how slow did Griffey Junior’s bat look facing Rodney? That (and his flawed play in center) was proof positive “The Kid” ain’t no kid anymore.

The 14th inning comeback victory last night was definitely one of the most satisfying so far this season. There’s nothing like an Ed Farmer “Light it Up” or Hawk Harrelson “You can put it on the boarrrrrd; YES!” homerun call to cap drama like that. There have been enough frustrating defeats to date to last an entire season, so this was a much welcomed feeling. The timing of this win was huge, too - obviously. The Sox needed this one in a bad way. Hell, this fan needed this one in a bad way. Honestly, with Detroit up 6-1, did you really have much hope for this team? They were staring down the barrel of a third consecutive butt whooping. But, Swisher’s sweet three-run shot in the 14th capped an amazing roller coaster of a game that helped ease the recent pain and frustration.

Will this be the magic moment that propels the Sox to a division championship? Well, this team still doesn’t play good overall defense (kudos, though, to Juan Uribe for playing an excellent, excellent “hot corner” last night - what an awesome throw out on the hard grounder that knocked him on his can), is second in the league in unearned runs allowed, has a bullpen that has been showing signs of completely collapsing and doesn’t have a starter right now that can be relied on consistently. Other than that…

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Bert is a freelance writer and passionate and knowledgeable Midwest sports fan. Having lived his entire life in Central Indiana, he ranks the Indy 500, "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," as the single best sports event in the world.

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