One would think that this exact moment is a great time to be alive for legendary White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. The South Siders have rode an eight-game winning streak to the top of the A.L. Central standings. The bats are supercharged, Jake Peavy is in one piece and powering a stellar starting rotation and a young bullpen full of live arms has been able to protect leads late. The White Sox are the hottest team in baseball; the White Sox are rolling.
Given that a disproportional percentage of Hawk's happiness seems to be derived from the Sox's overall record, one would not suspect this as the time the South Side's Southern-fried Friend of Yaz would choose to freak out. Oh, but we're all so wrong.
Before the White Sox would complete a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Hawk went on the type of batshit rant that deserves immediate induction into the Wing of Crazy at Cooperstown. Umpire Mark Wegner was the target, with the ejection of Sox rookie starter Jose Quintana serving as the catalyst.
While Hawk's rant has turned into Internet gold, apparently not everyone liked it. This subset of contrarians unfortunately includes two powerful dudes, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and MLB commissioner Bud Selig.
On Friday, it was reported that Harrelson met with Reinsdorf and Selig to discuss his rant. From ESPN Chicago:
"I talked to Bud Selig yesterday," Harrelson told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine on Friday morning. "We had a talk. Actually, Bud talked and I listened. If it was a prize fight, they would have stopped it in the first round.
"I also talked to Jerry, and I listened to him as well. That's all I really have to say."
The Sox begin a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.
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