NWINFan

And the Dodgers looked ordinary and they pulled off a bone headed base running play. To go along with this, the Yankee offense looked putrid. The Sox got exposed some, but they're still a good team. But there are problems to overcome.

What a perfect day for a Cub opener. I can feel that win off of the lake. Cub fans will be sporting blue shirts and blue asses.

You can get away with night openers in Southern California but I don't like opening night games. For tradition sake, they should all be day games. But I'm glad the regular season is finally here. Spring Training is boring.

Actually 90 wins may be expected but really doesn't mean it will happen. This is a young team that has the ability to go south.Some on this board think Engel is an everyday player when he isn't. Otherwise I don't understand the fucking hostility.

90 wins. Adam Engel will prove that he is not an everyday player. Eloy will not make a significant contribution.

All I can say some don't know the difference between being positive and being delusional.

It was probably time for Hemond to go. That wasn't the problem. I just wished the ownership put more thought into this. I hope Vaughn works out somehow in left field, and that he is not someone just shoved there because they don't have anyone else. I remember Greg Norton at third base in 1999. He was totally out of his element, and it just didn't work out. That wasn't fair to Norton, and wasn't fair to fans having to watch him struggle. I hope Vaughn doesn't end up looking like Norton.

This was a hire pulled off like many hires by this organization. Little pre-thought, and head-scratching logic. Yes, the Sox needed a rebuild, but the team didn't need a loud-mouthed TV color-man to do it. The rest of the 80's was nothing but losing. The franchise lost credibility and looked like it was run by a bunch of know-nothings. The team turned it around in the early Nineties. But then came the strike and some more dumb decisions. Then back to rebuilding. Sound familiar?

2021 will give us a more complete picture of how this rebuild is finally progressing. Some young players have to develop, and the organization will still have to make some moves even if the team has a winning season. We will see if the team is really serious about winning.

I am a free-lance writer working on a book on the 2005 team. I was wondering if anyone knew of any collectors of Sox photos and who own rights to those photos. I would be interested in acquiring one-time rights. You can private message me. Thanks.

Yes, making a trade always sounds good, but is never easy. Plus the fact that the Sox don't have a whole lot of leverage at the moment. Maybe something can happen at the deadline. They won't miss Eloy's defense, but his absence creates a big hole in the lineup. It will be a challenge to overcome this.

I like storybook stuff, too, but I don't think Eloy will go hogwild. He may not even come back, and, if he does, it will take at least a little time to work off the rust. This is a big offensive loss for the White Sox.

Yes, that was Hawk's work, and LaRussa was there to see it. One reason LaRussa shouldn't want to insert Vaughn in left field if he doesn't have to. A healthy Engel is not the answer. He is not an every day player. The team needs a competent left fielder, the pitching staff needs a competent left fielder. This doesn' t mean that the team will get one.

I'm sure Vaughn will give it a good shot, but the simple fact is he is not a left fielder. Just like Carlton Fisk wasn't a left fielder.

Hope Eloy doesn't end up like Carlos Quentin. I realize what potential disaster Eloy was in left field, but an offensive threat like him is rare. A loss like this can't be shrugged off. I know that trades are easier said than done, but I think the Sox should do something to show their fans they are serious about making this rebuild. The team hasn't won 90 games in 15 years. We've had more than enough losing and also-rans.

There is some overreaction here. Eloy's play was no worse that Robin Ventura shattering his leg during a play at home during Spring Training 1997. He was out until August, and by that time, the White Flag Trade was made and there went the season. This is all I expect from Eloy in left: Catch the ball if it is hit near him, hit the cut-off man when needed, and when throwing into the infield, throw to the right base. We won't need to worry about any gold glove consideration. One other thing: He shouldn't hurt himself by running into the wall or into his center fielder. In fact, let his center fielder play a good portion of left field, too.

I understand the frustration with Eloy, but I wouldn't want him as a DH. I don't think it would be a good thing for a young player not to be out in the field. Then it boggles my mind that a major league player can't field his position in at least an adequate way.

Chris Sale is part of the past not the future.

The "scum" remark was the worst gaffe in Reinsdorf's career and was so totally un-necessary. I'm not a big fan of Carey and Piersall, but I thought that was way over the top. It was a time to celebrate but Reinsdorf and Einhorn were both bitter. Yes, they had taken a great deal of heat for certain things, but they had no understanding of White Sox fans. The rest of the 1980s was a disaster. The only smart thing they did was fire LaRussa.

Could never figure Lopez out. Seemed to have the potential to be at least a consistent starting pitcher. Don't feel like bashing him. He was frustrating to watch more than anyone else. Perhaps he can catch on with someone else and figure it out. But it is not happening right now.

Exactly. What makes all this confusing why an organization cannot even luck its way into a great QB. Through all the years, and all the FO changes, the Bears, time and time again, cannot find even a competent QB to even manage a game in a decent manner. I remember being at a Bears game in 1984, and the team tried a desperation pass into the end zone on the last play. The quarterback threw it five yards over the end line. It was totally frustrating watching a player not even give his team a chance to win. And that's the way it's been with this team for the better part of 100 years.

The brutal truth is the Bears have not been much of a franchise since the mid-80s. They have an exceptional year here and there, and that is about it. It is getting harder and harder to have a real interest in this team. All you can say is they're better than the Lions.

I know this is only Spring Training, but I have always been concerned about Tim's concentration on defense. He can make the great play, but look bad on the routine play. The routine plays happen more often. Those are the plays that need to be made. The great plays will take care of themselves.

I'm optimistic, too. It's great to have good news. Had my second shot some hours ago, and so far am not feeling any side effects. Not even a sores shoulder, and I felt nothing at all when getting the shot. Spoke to my niece and she said a co-worker is hesitant to get the vaccine because she thinks it will "rearrange her DNA." Takes all kinds.

There is still is resistance out there just as there is resistance to wearing a mask. Just as there are college kids flocking to Southern Florida to party. Just as Southern governors who are opening their states too soon. Just as there are the paranoids who believe a vaccination is a form of mind control.