If you are a White Sox fan and have had your head in the sand all day, let me be the first to tell you that Mark Buehrle is now a Miami Marlin.

Buehrle got a 4 year, 58-million dollar deal to join Ozzie Guillen in Florida. It’s a nice deal for the 32 year old, and one the Sox didn’t, and probably shouldn’t have.

I am a huge Buehrle fan. Everything you’ve read about the guy is correct, consistent on the mound, and even better in the clubhouse. That may be the toughest thing for the Sox to replace. He was a mentor to guys like John Danks, who in a lot of ways is a clone on Buehrle. Yes, he throws harder, but he works quick, throws strikes, and rarely misses a start.

I am happy for Buehrle. He goes to a team that is focused on winning right now. The Sox are focused on winning in about 2-3 years. New Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen also played a big part, I am sure, so the transition to the Marlins will be easier for the lefthander.

Buehrle finished his 12 year career in Chicago with 161 victories, 11 straight years of 200 innings pitched and more than 30 starts. That won’t be matched in Sox-land in a l-o-n-g time.

I’ve written before about the many fun stories I had with Buehrle, and will miss the funny stuff he said on a daily basis.

The backlash in Chicago will be huge. Trading Sergio Santos on Monday, and losing Buehrle on Wednesday is not a way to ingratiate themselves to their fans. If the Cubs make a huge splash, let’s say sign Prince Fielder, it will be an even bigger Cubs town than in was before.

I hope General Manager Ken Williams plan to re-tool, or re-build the Sox works. I know the Sox fans feel the same.

Weird thing. MLB already has Buehrle in a Miami Marlins cap. It doesn’t look right, at all.

Go Sox!