tag:www.chicagonow.com,2010:/blogs/mike-nadel-baldest-truth//159/tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/mike-nadel-baldest-truth//159.28871- He's bald, he's truthful, he's sportswriter Mike Nadel. Movable Type 4.261 tag:www.chicagonow.com,2009:/blogs/mike-nadel-baldest-truth//159.28871 2009-11-07T04:33:29Z 2009-11-07T04:43:33Z

The Bald TruthBenched. Denied a new contract by the Bulls. Ripped for being a whiner. Bitten by the flu bug. And now shelved after fracturing the radius in his left forearm ... while doing pull-ups, of all things.Rough week for...

Mike Nadel http://www.chicagonow.com/profiles/mikenadel The Bald Truth

Benched. Denied a new contract by the Bulls. Ripped for being a whiner. Bitten by the flu bug. And now shelved after fracturing the radius in his left forearm ... while doing pull-ups, of all things.

Rough week for Tyrus Thomas.

This supposedly is a make-or-break season for the guy John Paxson liked more than LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.

So far, lots of break, precious little make.
If any of you passengers can explain what Pax was thinking on draft day '06, please press your call button.

The Balder Truth

For years, Ozzie Guillen insisted that Jermaine Dye was the most underrated athlete in Chicago ... and it was hard to argue with him.

J.D. showed up for work every day, hit the ball out of the park, drove in a ton of runs, played fundamentally sound baseball, was respected in the clubhouse and led by example.

Oh, and he was the MVP of the only World Series won by a Chicago ballclub in the last nine decades.

Cut loose Friday, the classy Dye will be missed - probably even more than the White Sox realize.

THE BALDEST TRUTH 

The Sox have had four leaders these last few seasons: Paul Konerko, the captain; Jim Thome, the future Hall of Famer; Jose Contreras, loved by all and revered by fellow Latinos; and Dye.

Three of the four are gone. Konerko must be getting pretty lonely.

Not that I would have done anything differently if I were Kenny Williams - and we're often mistaken for each other - but it will be interesting to see who fills the leadership void.

Maybe newcomer Mark Teahen is the take-charge type. Maybe Gordon Beckham, who will move from third base to second to accommodate Teahen, will become the baseball version of Jonathan Toews, the kid captain of the Blackhawks. Maybe Mark Buehrle, who has become more outspoken the last year or two, will assume leadership of the pitching staff - unless fiery Jake Peavy does first.

Ozzie fancies himself as the leader, but a manager's role is completely different. Ballplayers must support each other, demand excellence from each other and hold each other accountable - or the thing won't work.

Sparky Anderson used to say that if he ever had to be the team leader, the team was in deep trouble.
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