NWINFan

Maddon looks like a scapegoat, but maybe a change is good for both for him and the Cubs. Maybe the Sox should think about this when they keep people forever.

Realistically, I think the Sox will be somewhat active this off season because even they know they have to do something or totally alienate what fans they have left. But I don't think they will go overboard on their spending. These expensive long-term contracts deeply concern me for obvious reasons. But they are a trend and they won't go away because the White Sox are holding the line. What also concerns me is that the Sox will pass on an opportunity even when it may greatly improve the team. This concern goes past this off season.

But Steve Stone says that Engel is really coming on offensively. And Palka is just one swing away from his first homer of the year. And Cordell. Well, I don't have anything to say about Cordell.

You're probably right about this, but it doesn't have to be like this. A team with an ownership and FO that has real ambition can start changing things. It's a huge undertaking, but the first step is to get over feeling like step children. If the rebuild only produces some short term winning, then it hasn't succeeded. It's time to truly alter the direction of the franchise as a whole. I don't know if this ownership has the capability or will to do that. There's your tipping point.

Yet, Theo is still called a genius and the media hypes him as entering the Hall of Fame some day. This is an incredible loss of talent. The Cubs had some real work to do, and I wonder if Theo is going to be around to do it.

I am truly looking forward to this post-season. This is the way it is supposed to be as the Cubs are also doing their best to extend their losing streak. All is right with the world.

One of many embarrassing losses this season. Fulmer, Santiago, and Detwiler need to be somewhere else next season. Players have had break-out years, but you're right. The pitching staff is horrid. Cease is a raw talent. Kopech is coming off an injury. The team still has some hills to climb.

I saw the last part of the seventh. In all of my years of watching baseball I have never seen a team collapse like this one, and I was around in 1969. It is almost as if they are waiting for something bad to happen, and then, it does. Cub fans, like us with our team, are speculating about what to do next season. I think they have do a great deal. The stain from this horrible last week is going to be hard to wash off. The dynasty has ended.

At least the cubs didn't lose by one run.

Wow. I feel so much better now.

In 1988, a top aide to George Bush took Bush to a mountain retreat to get away from the media during the Democratic National Convention. The aide thought Bush didn't need to hear all the political attacks during those four days. The Bush campaign, as would any campaign, no doubt monitored the convention as they did all their political opposition. But the candidate didn't need to do that. It is tough enough running for president and staying on message without getting too distracted by foes and critics. I am sure that someone in the White Sox organization monitors the internet and social media for various reasons. But top front office people shouldn't do that nor should the manager, coaches and players. It is tough enough to compete at the major league level without getting distracted by fans lashing out. Praise and criticism will eventually find its way to the team; you don't need to go looking for it. Secondly, it is bad PR for Cooper to argue and fight with fans especially when the team is losing. In addition to rebuilding the team on the field, the franchise needs to rebuild its fan base. They won't do it this way. Any rebuild is hard. It takes a long time, and there is so much losing. There is bound to be hurt feelings on all sides. If I was Cooper, I wouldn't obsess about social media. There are plenty of challenges ahead without worrying about this stuff.

You would hope so, but 2019 should have been a year where he progressed, at least some. The Sox are in a position to give him another shot, but he is not someone you can rely on at this point. Going into 2020, the team has to realize how thin the starting staff and something needs to be done to address the problem.

First of all, history is never irrelevant, whether it is recent or older. Besides that, you missed the whole point of my post. Losing for long periods is frustrating no matter what the circumstances. And I am not willing to put up with using the rebuild as an excuse for long-term losing.

This and then some. In addition, even though some players are breaking through this year in a big way, there have been many games this and last year when the team didn't even look like a major league squad. That's hard to take no matter how patient you are. I have been a Sox fan for decades and here is my biggest frustration: Numerous times it appeared the team appeared to get over the hump and was ready to become an elite franchise. Then there is a bad trade or a key injury. Or Hawk is made GM on some stupid whim. Or there's a strike. Or a white-flag trade. Then it is back to non-contention. So, it isn't just the last few years of a rebuild. It is decades of the team constantly shooting itself in the foot. The rebuild is shaping up. But will things really be different? Hey, Coop, you have an answer for that one?

I find it amusing that "Hope Springs Eternal" Cub fans are ready to eat their own at the first sign of trouble. Suddenly, the brain trust of Theo and Maddon aren't so brilliant anymore. Meanwhile the 9-8 loss to St. Louis will go down as one of their biggest chokes. They should have put that game away in the first and then they blew it in the ninth. I guess the magic wore out.

I agree with numbers 1 and 2 with a great stress on #2. Reinsdorf will not allow Maddon, or anyone like him, to come in and change things. I don't see a change in managers in 2020. But it will have to come eventually and a strong manager will want to his own coaching staff. So that probably means the team won't get a high-profile or strong manager.

Cooper is old and tiresome. Fans will always complain. So what? Yes, I love it when Detwiler comes and does his three innings. It is also great when Lopez pitches great one day and gets bombed the next. I really think oxygen isn't making its way all the way up. Just wait when Cooper really gets old. And we will remember his fat ass, too.

Just think. If the Sox hired Maddon, it would be the second time Reneteria would lose his job to Maddon. Kind of a downer for Ricky.

You are awfully optimistic, which of course, is in your nature. JR has always believed that winning creates overhead. But I hope you are right. It would be oh so great to see winning baseball on the South Side once more.

St. Louis has already accomplished what they needed to do in this series. Now it is time to go in for the kill so we can have a post-season without the miracle Cubbies. Seems to me that the Cubs only win when their inconsistent offense explodes and scores a bunch of runs. In close games, they can make the big pitch or come up with the big hit. Their fans should put those "W" flags away. I don't think they will be using them much except when their miracle team plays the Pirates. And now that may not even help.

If the Cubs find a way to get into the playoffs, I don't see them going far. They make bonehead plays and many times don't hit with runners in scoring in position. And all this stupid hype around Rizzo is making me sick. Please, St. Louis, sweep this series and end this stupid nonsense.

Yes, it is obvious the team needs pitching since Cease and Kopech will be developing and Lopez is an enigma. And they can't have Goins or anyone like him going out to right field. The team needs a real outfielder in that position even if he is not a slugger. As of now, the offseason is still something to speculate about. But frustration describes it in an under-stated way if the team has another 90-loss season.

What is amazing about this season is that Giolito, Anderson, and Moncada have had break-out seasons, and Abreu is competing for the RBI title, yet the team is still no where near the .500 mark. You are right to wonder if the Sox can close the gap between them and the Twins and Indians. It is hard to predict what kind of year 2020 will be.

The most important part of your post is the transition concept. The franchise can no longer expect fans to watch games like the one in Seattle because the Sox are rebuilding. Young players are developing, and more will be here in 2020. But it is time to supplement the rebuild with some proven players. It is time to move on to the next level, at least a .500 level. The FO has to do something significant this off season. Losing to teams like Seattle and Kansas City doesn't cut it.

You don't cite this objective evidence that the Sox will invest in their team. I am hoping they do; they need to. But until they do, I will remain skeptical. But the fact remains that major league franchises can be profitable when losing.