Closing time?
Bobby Jenks has been the South Side's beloved closer since he came up from Class AA Birmingham midway through the 2005 season and helped the White Sox win the World Series.
After Tuesday night's loss to the Twins, Jenks spoke with reporters for possibly the final time.
The burly reliever popped his right calf muscle during batting pratice and is done for the season.
Don't be surprised if Jenks is traded during the off-season, even though the Sox don't have another closer ready to step in.
And no, Matt Thornton is not the guy, even though he throws 97 mph with ease.
Jenks has had a bad season, and his 9 home runs allowed are alarming.
His velocity has been slipping for years, and you have to wonder if the wear-and-tear has finally caught up to him.
You can be sure Jenks' future will come up Wednesday afternoon, when White Sox GM Kenny Williams is scheduled to meet the media for the final time this season.
Not too many guys have the year Jenks has and gets called on the carpet for it. The problem this year begins and ends with Quinton, Konerko, and Dye not producing RBIs in crucial situations. It shows you just how good of a year CQ had last year.
Jenks might be traded this offseason which may or may not make sense depending on who you talk to, but for the Sox to trade him without having a clue who the closer is going to be would be a huge mistake.
Kenny has done a nice job lining up the starting rotation for next year but all of his efforts will be wasted if the team doesn't have a reliable closer.....for an example of how this can destroy a team look no further than the north side and the debacles that have been Gregg and Marmol this year. Yes, the Cubs like the Sox have had offensive challenges all year, but the late inning bullpen collapses just suck the life out of a team.