NWINFan

This is true as the Chicago media rarely criticizes the owners. And if there is a dispute between the fans and the owners, the media will side against the fans every time. It would be nice to know some inside information on the lockout. Things don't look good, but it is hard to say what is truly going on.

Mahomes is a great talent. That is one problem with him. Sometimes the play isn't there and you can't make it happen. That pass at the end of the half was just plain stupid. He should have thrown the ball away and taken the three. Then when KC drove for its tying field goal, he almost blew it. He scrambled when he should have taken the sack. Instead, he lost seven more yards and fumbled. He was lucky a teammate fell on the ball or KC would have lost right there. Mahomes cost his team this game although you have to give the Bengals defense credit for a great second half.

You may be right about this. Here we are, on the edge of February, and there is no CBA. Unless something serious happens real soon, spring training will be pushed back and so will the regular season. Usually, this is the time fans look forward to spring and baseball. Instead, we are limbo because we really don't know how far this is going to progress. Unless we see something substantial happen, I am assuming we are losing a part of the season.

I can't and don't want to watch this. This play was a symbol of everything that was wrong in the 2010s. A nightmare decade.

When he first came up, I thought he was a can't miss player. Was poised and seemed to have talent. I guess that is why I am not a major league scout.

There are plenty of meaningful games in September under the current system. I think you've been used to watching the White Sox go through their meaningless September crap which they did plenty of during the last decade. No, I don't want tanking. But there will be a form of tanking when owners realized they really don't have to put together solid teams when an average team can go to the playoffs. Then they can tell their fans what a great job they did. I agree that the regular season needs to be shorter. The playoffs don't need to be longer. That will make MLB look like the inane NBA.

Of course, I want playoffs, but I don't want mediocre teams participating. I don't care about upsets. Like I said, it's all a con. Owners don't have to invest in building a great team when everybody and his brother gets in. Yes, get some team winning the mid-80's in, and the owner can tell what great things he did for you. Not only is second place great, but so is third. You must know that this is nothing but a making money easy scheme. Superior teams belong in the playoffs. Shit teams need to stay home. The owners can go to hell.

I don't agree with this. In baseball, more than any other sport, a bad team can beat a good team on any given day. Mediocre teams don't belong in the playoffs. I am one fan who won't buy into this con.

I agree. Media people have long memories, and many times are just plain petty as you indicate. I don't look at the sports section all that often, because there are few good sportswriters nowadays. Regardless, when it comes to the Hall, people need to think in a larger way.

We will see in the next few weeks how serious the owners are about breaking the union. If they go nuclear, the season will be put on hold for who knows how long. I am one who is totally against expanding the playoffs. If MLB can't stir interest with the current system, there's something wrong. Cheapening the regular season is not the answer. Getting to the post season should be a reward for a solid regular season. I am not one for letting in an average team in with hopes it will "get hot" in the playoffs. The hell with that crap.

Watching the Bucs last week, I reacted like a Bears fan would. Tampa had the ball inside their own ten with a little over a minute to go. I assumed the Bucs would run the ball into the middle of the line and head for halftime. But the Bucs have Brady. A little more than a minute later, Tampa has marched over 90 yards and are celebrating a touchdown. I am no Brady fan, but he's the best ever. He rarely beats himself, and his team is always in it as long as he's on the field. After all these years, he's still a real competitor. I don't see anyone keeping the Bucs from repeating. Now, if Fields turns out to be just half as good as Brady, the Bears may win a few games.

Dramatic or not, the opportunity to do something was taken away. Additionally, starting with the winter meetings, this is usually a good time for fan interest as moves are being made. And the White Sox are good, but I wouldn't call them loaded.

For White Sox fans, this lockout came at the worst time. We wanted something dramatic to happen this off-season, but, at the moment, no trades or free agent signings can happen. 2025 is only three years away, and before you know it, it will be 20 years since the last World Series appearance. How time zooms by when you're losing.

There is always some kind of debate when it comes to negotiations like this. There are different factions within each side, and this can slow things down. Not being an insider, it is almost impossible for me to know how unified each side is. In addition to complex negotiating, there is the political situation. Maybe the season can still start on time, but until there are signs of real movement, I am not optimistic. We will see how stubborn each side is.

Then the owners will need time to respond. Unless something dramatic happens, I don't see the season opening on time.

I remember during a press conference Les asking Cartlon Fisk about some obscure game that Les had a vivid memory of. Fisk looked at him like he was nuts. Yes, he was unique. Sad news.

A unique person in the Chicago sports media world. Had a great memory.

He was an important piece to the team, no doubt. But he was with the team for only six years. And sometimes I think too many numbers are retired. Lester was a good pitcher, but he doesn't rank up there with Ferguson Jenkins, and I don't know if Jenkins' number was retired or not. This is an overreaction to Lester's retirement.

I saw headline in the Trib sports section. Apparently, Paul Sullivan thinks the Cubs should retire Lester's number. I actually think Lester is a class guy, and he did his job for the Cubs. But this is a bit much. But this is Cub-loving Paul Sullivan.

The not trying was getting complacent. The team was old everywhere from the front office to the broadcast booth to the field management. The Tribune did an article on the team's state in mid-summer 2013. The paper talked to Board members who basically said leave everything to Jerry. Why not? They were making money. Who cared if the team was on its way to its worst season in 43 years? It began with an awful series against the Cubs, and it just got worse. I saw no urgency from the FO to even address the situation. I remember the 1970 team that lost 106 games. I liked that team better than the 2013 club. The 2013 team was left to rot on the vine, and the rest of the horrible decade was nothing but losing. Ah, the memories.

Let me put it this way: What the White Sox did during the 2010s was not winning. Not even close to it. The only serious effort they made was when they decided to tank.

I agree that many teams don't try to win, but they lay this guilt crap on fans about coming out to see these losing teams no matter what. The hell with that shit. I wonder how much Jerry Reinsdorf cares about winning at this point or how much he ever truly cared about it. The value of the White Sox franchise has skyrocketed although he doesn't seem all that happy about it. Regardless, this is 1994 all over again. If there is a long work stoppage, it will hurt the White Sox the most.

I've sat in on management-union negotiations and sometimes offers are insulting, and people get more pissed. But you're right. Any conversation is better than none. If the union laughs it off or goes on a tirade, at least we fans will know a little more about what is going on. But I still don't think the regular season will not start on time. If I'm wrong, I will be happily surprised, but things are moving at such a slow pace. It would help if the two sides could meet without wanting to punch each other. The human side to this always has the potential to mess things up.

For all you Reinsdorf-lovers and those backers of the poor owners- Look at the Bears insulting offer to Olin Kreutz to be a part-time job coaching the offensive line. The Bears are like all arrogant major league franchises. A person is supposed to feel honored to work for them and work for them for next-to-nothing. Two large things contributed to baseball players making big money. One was the union. Then there was the advent of free agency. Take these two huge developments away and the players would make little. Where did the concept of spring training come from? Players had to find work in the offseason, and they couldn't stay in shape. Jim Hickman had pretty decent career, but he died poverty-stricken. The players will have to give up something. But don't expect me to cry for the owners. Regardless, it doesn't look like the season will start on time.

Bowie Kuhn was far from perfect, but there were times he acted like an independent commissioner. When you have an owner acting as a commissioner it shows something. In any event, no commissioner will have any leverage regarding a work stoppage, and I doubt that he has leverage on many other things. The owners are running things.