Blame can be shared for White Sox woes

CHICAGO -- White Sox general manager Rick Hahn and manager Robin Ventura played the blame game before Monday's contest with the Yankees in connection with the team's dismal 40-69 record. The first finger they pointed was aimed directly back at themselves.

"It's all my fault," said Ventura in a forceful tone, with a bit of sarcasm but more than a bit of honesty. "It is. I'm the manager, so I have to take the responsibility."

"I don't put this on any individual coach or the coaching staff as a whole or myself or the people in the front office," Hahn said. "I put it on all of us, players included. The performance has not been at an acceptable level. We as a group collectively are to blame for this."

Hahn listed off the main source of problems for the White Sox, from an offense that ranks last in the American League in runs scored to major defensive miscues and lackluster fundamental play overall, including bad baserunning.

The club's GM spoke of decision-making and the process to get to that decision ultimately being more important than results, using hitting coach Jeff Manto as an example, in that he's putting in more than the requisite work and communicating with his players, even if the statistics are far from desirable.

But Hahn also expressed almost astonishment in his starting pitchers lowering their collective ERA over this 10-game skid, featuring a 2.88 ERA with eight quality starts.

"It's extremely frustrating for everyone associated with it and especially our pitchers," Hahn said. "There's a fair amount of issues that came to a head during this 10-game skid which hopefully ends tonight and stuff that will have to be addressed in the not too distant future."