Lucas Giolito got the win in a 6-2 victory against Tampa Bay on Sept. 3, 2017. Photo by Kevin Kenealy.

My baseball withdrawal is getting worse by the day. I've been watching the Ken Burns' documentary Baseball, reviewing highlights of the White Sox 2005 World Series run, reading anything I can from MLB, and staring at the park down the street with a sunken heart that only the words "Play Ball" can fix.

This afternoon, we set up the T for my son Sean to hit his first ball off of. His smile hitting that oversized plastic ball temporarily cured my baseball flu. When your team hasn't made the playoffs since 2008 and hasn't had a winning season since 2012, you've been itching for some sunlight of success after so many seasons of losing. And it was a long off-season, wasn't it? The Bears promised us a road to the Super Bowl only to struggle to mediocrity. The Blackhawks flirted with the playoffs at times only to let us down, and the Bulls were a joke. So when the White Sox arguably won the off-season, Chicago finally had something to look forward to.

I made it to Spring Training this year just a mere couple of weeks before COVID hit the U.S. I watched the White Sox take on the Rangers, and even though the Sox lost 8-7 that day, I had the pleasure of seeing Eloy and Robert hit back-to-back homers. The future looked bright. My dad, brother and I have an ongoing Chicago sports (minus the Cubs) text-message chain where we talk everything Chicago. And by everything Chicago, I mean mostly the White Sox. Lately, we've been talking things like, "Who would you pick to be on the all-time White Sox starting lineup?" This got me to thinking. There are a number of players that I would pick from who I saw growing up, but there are a number who I never saw that also deserved the list. Then I thought, "Who would make the all-time worst list?" There were some God-awful players to grace the Southside over the years. So, I made three lists: one for the all-time team, one for my all-time modern-era team, and one for my worst all-time modern era team. For your all-time list, let me know in the comments section on the front page.

The All-Time White Sox Team

First Base - Frank Thomas

Second Base - Eddie Collins

Shortstop - Luke Appling

Third Base - Robin Ventura

Catcher - Carlton Fisk

DH - Jim Thome

Left Fielder - Shoeless Joe Jackson

Right Fielder - Harold Baines

Center Fielder - Lance Armstrong

Starting Pitcher - Ed Walsh

Closer.- Bobby Thigpen

My All-Time Modern Era White Sox Team

First Base - Frank Thomas

Second Base.- Ray Durham

Shortstop - Alexei Ramirez

Third Base - Robin Ventura

DH - Jim Thome

Catcher - AJ Pierzynski

Left Fielder - Tim Raines

Right Fielder - Jermaine Dye

Center Fielder - Aaron Rowan

Starting Pitcher - Mark Buehrle

Closer - Keith Foulke

My All-Time Modern Era Worst White Sox Team

First Base - Adam LaRoche

Second Base - Gordon Beckham

Shortstop - Jimmy Rollins

Third Base.- Josh Fields

Catcher - Tyler Flowers

DH - Adam Dunn

Left Fielder - Jordan Danks

Right Fielder - Dan Pasqua

Center Fielder - Brian Anderson

Starting Pitcher - Odrisamer Despaigne

Closer - Billy Koch

So, there you have it. Who would you pick for the three categories above? We all need something to satisfy our baseball drought.

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson takes on a Jenga challenge at White Sox Fest on Jan. 28, 2017. Photo by Kevin Kenealy.