After a surprisingly fast start the White Sox have turned, more or less, into the team we expected them to be, with a hint of even worse thrown in. After going 14-10 in April, they have hit the skids in May. But that is no reason to give up on them yet; and here’s ten reasons why. Sorry for no images but the Sox are playing so poorly right now they don't deserve them.

10. Ozzie Guillen’s future.
A bad season could be the end of the Ozzie saga on the Southside, but a good season could bring that praise Sox fans love giving him. At the very least, I would be willing to bet what Guillen has in his “fines’ savings account” that another tirade happens, one that will make or break his career in Chicago. Personally, Ozzie has a lifetime contract regardless of any finish. Oh, if I were GM.

9. Everybody has losing streaks.
Nobody ever goes a year looking strong throughout the entire season. Going back to last year’s two World Series teams, Boston had some hard times in early June and mid-July and Colorado had to win 15 of 16 just to get into the playoffs which means they clearly had hard times. Bumps will be hit, and the good teams play through it.

8. It is May.
I am no baseball expert but even I know that so much is up for grabs after the quarter-mark. According to the May 13, 2007 standings, only three of the eight teams that made the playoffs in October of 2007 would have been there if the season ended a year ago today. And of those three, one of them (Cleveland) was not even leading their division, but was in the wildcard. No teams in the National League who held playoff positions on 5/13/07 would have made the playoffs. But then again, the NL is a joke. Just to put this into better perspective, The Rays, Twins and Marlins all currently lead their division. Enough said.

7. Will Josh Fields get his shot?
It is a pity that Joe Crede is one of three guys on the team who are hitting at the moment, because Fields would almost surely be up in the Bigs. Regardless of what happens to this season, Josh Fields will be apart of it in a pretty big way, whether it means he takes over for Crede, (unlikely) moves to the outfield (more likely, but see below) or a trade happens that ships either Fields, if they are in serious contention or Joe, if out of contention. Whatever way you look at it, Fields should be playing major league ball by July.

6. The turnstile known as the outfield.
The most exciting thing going on with the Sox right now is the outfield. Nick Swisher’s slumping has opened the door for Brian Anderson to step up. And for some reason, he is actually holding his own. Carlos Quinten is currently the teams best hitter, but can’t play defense to save his life. Alexei Ramirez is still just raw talent who has not been getting the time expected because of the B-And surprise and Jermaine Dye has been alright but is showing clear signs of aging. The fact that they are already five-deep, not to mention Pablo Ozuna making his guest appearances would probably keep Ozzie from testing AAA stud Fields in the outfield. Regardless, three of those five guys will need to step up in order to make a serious run.

5. They are only three years removed from a World Series.
Three years ago gave the Sox fans a swagger that lasted about eight minutes, which is a shame because the key parts of that team are still intact. If age did not play a role what-so-ever, it would have been hard to count the Sox out at all. Of the eight field positions, five big contributors then are still there, with the potential to contribute the way they used to (Pierzynski, Konerko, Uribe, Crede, Dye.) The guys that have filled the other spots are better (for the most part) than the ’05 bunch (Cabrera over Tad, Swisher over Rowand). The pitching staff is questionable but has the potential to be just as good, and the bench is superior to the ’05 bench.

4. They have not even played the Cubs yet.
Typically, the official giving-up point happens in Chicago baseball at least mid-June, when either the Cubs or Sox are destroyed by the cross-town team. This year’s match-up could be exactly what the Sox need to boost them from pretender to serious contender of the most difficult division in baseball.

3. Gavin Floyd is bound to throw a no-hitter.
While I hate when people make judgments on an individual’s future based on one single performance, it is hard to ignore Floyd’s two no-no attempts this month. While I think these stats are pretty stupid and should not be factored into a pitchers’ line Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheenan said in the recent edition of Sports Illustrated that Floyd is one of the luckiest pitchers in baseball this season because of his low strikeouts to his high line-drive outs ratio. While it may not happen this season, I have faith that young Gavin can do it sometime in his career. He has made GM Kenny Williams look like a genius for acquiring him for Freddie Garcia. I just hope he can keep it going.

2. Because you are a fan.
It is your duty as a fan to support a team through thick and thin, and anybody who jumped on the bandwagon in April has to put in an additional three-month stint of watching. It is just the rules. Try and tell me you would rather be doing something like hanging out with friends, going out to bars or taking a walk on a beautiful summer day when you could be sitting inside your house watching one of the 162 games, grinding it out with the team. I see right through you.

1. They are two games out.
This title kind of speaks for itself. Let’s just hope that if they remain this close in July, Reinsdorf does not decide to dump all the stars in exchange for a plethora of minor leaguers. But he’s never done that before. Right?