Happy Friday! It’s time for another week in review. Full disclosure, I have been on vacation all week in Atlantic City, NJ, so I was a little out of the loop, but I found some interesting stories to dig into today. The dog days of summer are coming to a close and crisp fall days are ahead, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a busy week in Major League Baseball. Today is all about two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum, and we begin with the worst of the two.

Worst of the Week: South Side Horror Show

For the second week in a row, the Chicago White Sox find themselves featured in this piece, unfortunately they won the dubious honor of being the worst of the week this time out. The Pale Hose earned this spot thanks their long running clown of an owner and his dysfunctional organization. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf decided to pour more lighter fluid on an already combustible mess of a season, when he kicked off the week by saying he is considering selling or relocating the Sox.

Now selling would make White Sox fans day, so by all means Jerry, you do you. My issue is with Reinsdorf potentially looking to relocate the team out of Chicago. While moving the team off of the Southside is already hard to fathom, his willingness to move one of the sports oldest clubs to a new city is another step in an alarming MLB trend. With the A’s already heading for Las Vegas, there are now reports that the Orioles, Brewers, and aforementioned White Sox could also make a move.

There are a lot of factors that can lead to relocation, from a lack of attendance to a lack of political will to build stadiums for teams, but at the end of the day greedy owners (often with losing products) are mostly the reason cities lose franchises. While the White Sox enjoyed plenty of success under Reinsdorf, he checks that box with ease, as he is raising the specter of relocation with the team dysfunctional as ever, and 6 years left on his lease at Guaranteed Rate Field. Its frankly a gross move to float it, even if it goes nowhere.

The White Sox are a part of Chicago’s deep sports history, while it’s bad enough that they don’t play at old Comiskey Park anymore, if the team moves, it will mark another sad day in the relocation saga of pro sports. If you’re a sports nerd like me and have some time on your hands, check out Last Comiskey. The documentary features interviews with a number of former White Sox players and passionate fans to paint a picture of the final season at the old ballpark on the Southside and the fan culture that surrounds the team to this day, the very culture Reinsdorf is putting in jeopardy. You can follow the documentary on Twitter @LastComiskey for some great classic baseball content, the trailer for the film is below and you can watch it in three parts on their YouTube channel.

That failed rebuild clearly cost them their jobs, and while both deserve blame, it seems the organizational turmoil from the top down can be blamed on many more people than just them, players included. The on-field product has been rightly criticized this season for a lack of effort from a team that shows almost no passion or energy night to night. Outfielder and DH Eloy Jiménez shared his thoughts on the clubhouse culture, or lack of there, after Wednesday’s loss to the Mariners which caught the ire of former Sox manager and fan favorite Ozzie Guillén. Check out his refreshingly honest rant below.

Best of the Week: Trea Turner’s “Rocky” Moment

If you follow pro sports at all, you no doubt have heard about the city of Philadelphia’s passionate and rowdy fans. There is no need to go through the ugly moments here, we’re trying to stick to the positives after all. But whether it is the Eagles, Sixers, Flyers or Phillies, let’s just say the City of Brotherly Love isn’t always so “loving.” And that is not to say their fans are necessarily wrong to voice their displeasure, as a New York sports fan, I agree with them that the “boo birds” are sometimes necessary.

But a few weeks back Phillies fans defied expectations with a moment that came full circle this Tuesday. Trea Turner is in year one of an 11-year, $300 million contract, one he rightfully earned this winter from the club. Since entering the league, he has been one of the game’s best shortstops and helped the Nationals win their first World Championship in 2019. The Fightin’ Phils hoped he would be the finishing touch to a roster that won the National League Pennant a year ago.

However, his first season in Philly has not gone as planned as the lifetime .295 hitter has hovered around .230 for most of the season, with his power numbers taking a hit as well. His struggles at the plate carried over to the field as his August 2nd error proved costly in a critical game against the Marlins.

Turner called the moving display “pretty fucking cool” and since then he has played like the Trea Turner of old. Clutch homers and smooth plays in the field are once again a regular feature of his game and Tuesday night was no exception. The Phillies entered the ninth inning trailing the Wild Card chasing Giants when up stepped Turner with the bases loaded.

That does it for our week in review. Stay tuned for some college football coverage this weekend, as my Notre Dame Fighting Irish kick off their season in Dublin, Ireland against the Naval Academy. I’ll also be releasing AFC and NFC previews next week with NFL kickoff just around the corner. Remember you can follow me on twitter @YNWA9623, and you can subscribe to this site by clicking “follow” in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. Enjoy the weekend everyone!