South Side Hit Men

James states the possibility of a “procedure” should rest, rehab and hopefully an improved diet fail to work.

BS. In any sport there are good and bad teams, including baseball. The difference is since Moneyball, FO are now brazen enough to sell fans that sucking for years and spending little to nothing on players is virtuous and brilliant. There were no competitive advantages to incentivize owners to spend little to nothing the first century of professional baseball (into the 1960s). Teams fielding losing teams made less at the gate. Their alternative was to spend more (players, scouts, farm teams) to attempt to win more, and ultimately earn more at the gate. There were no "luxury taxes", no international player spending caps, no MLB amateur drafts or spending limits on amateur athletes, no vast revenue sharing of massive television, internet, and other revenue streams, beyond the standard split of the live gate ticket receipts, for which a shitty team ended up with little both home and away. By increasing the number of playoff teams, from two out of 16 to 20 teams, to fourteen/sixteen + out of 30, it gives owners further reason to spend less, or for some teams even less than their annual league welfare checks (small market welfare payments) and league "socialist" 30 team 30 share revenue payments. It further incentivizes a growing number of "Cadillac Lamborghini Welfare Queen" owners of teams leeching and profiting as Congressionally awarded monopoly parasites on a host of live bodies, including taxpayers, cable television customers who have no interest in watching or paying for their shitty RSN, and amateur broadcasts of announcers in a bunker watching computer screens instead of being at the game, and the ever shrinking number of teams actually attempting to put a quality product on the field.

Smart GMs think about these probabilities before they hand out record contracts. Tony is happy with Narron’s work last year, despite defensive regression by every catcher. Tony is also pleased with Boston, GIDP Menechino, Duncan and the rest. Elite FO & Dugout Leadership. “I know that the White Sox will never be out managed with Tony in the dugout.”

Just one bite, everybody knows the rules. Cues culture outrage replies in 3-2-1…..

I will tune in for updates regarding Kimbrel, Hernandez, Rodon, Grandal’s surgery. Perhaps James Fegan will be allowed to ask a legitimate question or two. Do expect a substantial portion of the time to be filibustered with Bruce Levine reading a prepared statement, kissing Rick Hahn’s ass, praising Dear Leader, and gushing about Tony La Russa’s HOF job performance last season, including their enormous step forward with their incredible 12-6 playoff win.

Tanking became a thing only after expanded playoffs and more owners embraced the Jerry carrot philosophy. It substantially weakens the 162 game product. Can’t sugar coated that fact. MLB will continue to lose regular season attendance, and not increase postseason interest.

There may be a few Cinderella stories, but in the win the chalk / best teams always nearly wins the NCAA title. Kansas 1988 was the last major upset. In MLB’s version, any garbage team including teams barely over .500 can win 3 extra games over 3 weeks. Expanding the playoffs further substantially increases the probability a mediocre team like Atlanta or the 83 win Cardinals will win in future years. Any team, even a below .500 team can win for a few weeks. The Cubs were in first at the end of May. Owners will try even less to bother spending on a quality team. More carrots, less quality.

If there was no wagering/bracket pools, there would be as much interest in “March Madness” as there is CBB’s regular season, which is MLB’s future, though MLB tacks on 130 extra meaningless (blacked out) games. I guess I’ll be satisfied with Rotisserie, if I continue following.

Acquire Yordan Alvarez, Randy Arozarena, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Raisel Iglesias. Replace Reinsdorf with Cuban billionaire brothers who own Miami’s MLS team. Now we’re talkin’.

No more old guys years past their prime with no upside. Sadly, these are exactly the type of guys new White Sox GM Dave Stewart will be pursuing, back by statistics from Shelley Duncan and that Veterinarian guy.

Because the best team in a league of 8-10 teams each is a good season test. A format where over half the teams can be crowned "World Champions" going a few games over in October, after a mediocre 83-88 win season like TLR's pathetic Cardinal team or this year's shitty Atlanta team makes the entire season a farce. If you don't see or have a problem with a meaningless 162 game season, you'll love the shit the owners have in store. Enjoy the never ending RSN fee increases and 81 game exhibition season ticket purchases.

His contract is for $32M in 2022, and $32M in 2023, or a $15M buyout for 2023 in the event Bauer opts out after 2022. However, a portion of the remaining two years can be forfeited in the event MLB issues a suspension and it's upheld via arbitration if challenged by Bauer. Sam Dyson is the only player in MLB history to receive a one year suspension for Domestic Violence. Six players received suspensions between 51-100 days, and the remaining seven players receiving suspensions served between 7-40 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_suspended_for_domestic_violence Based on the above, I do not believe MLB can credibly suspend him for more than a year, and believe anything beyond a 40-50 game suspension would be challenged by Bauer's attorneys. Trevor Bauer did not opt out for 2022 as expected, and therefore is entitled to his full $28M 2021 salary, which cannot be retroactively confiscated with any suspension, in addition to his $10M signing bonus, which was never in jeopardy. There will be no "Trevor Bauer 11/1 Days" between 2031-2040. Bobby Bonilla remains MLB Legend, Julio "Juice" Cruz White Sox Legend, in this regard. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/11/trevor-bauer-to-decline-opt-out-for-2022-season.html

And what did did Rick ask Gary Bettman after Gary was shamed into allowing Rick to participate? And what he would like to have asked if granted follow-up questions: More lies from ownership's paid stooge Rocky Wirtz needs to answer every relevant question regarding his and his organization's involvement in this incident, from 2010, to the sham 2020 "investigation" which stated Kyle's case had "no merit", to the team funded and owned 2021 outside counsel "investigation", if he or his pathetic organization wants to regain any credibility with the outside world. I don't see it happening.

Had season tickets a long time for the NHL, but gave them up a few years after they switched to the NBA conference style format, eliminating in large part the interdivision rivalries which played out across multiple years within each division. The regular season is largely meaningless in hockey if your team can play above .500. The NFL gives a significant advantage to the best 2-4 teams in the season. The favorite in the NBA generally wins out in a seven game series. MLB and NHL playoffs are more of a crapshoot. If half or more teams make the playoffs, it renders the regular season by and large irrelevant, as long as you can scrape along at or slightly over .500. At least in hockey, teams play two months to sort out the six month season. In baseball, teams play a single month to sort out a six month season. In the Pennant Era (1903-1968), there were only two instances (post expansion in 1962 and 1964) where a team with the 4th best record in MLB won a World Series, and only five other instances where the team with the 3rd best record across both leagues won the World Series. All other WS champions either had the best record in baseball, or the second best record in baseball. In the Division Era (1969-1993), the average WS winner had the 3rd best record across MLB, with only three teams having a worse than 4th best MLB record (the sixth best 1980 Philadelphia Phillies and 1985 Kansas City Royals, and the fucking worthless ninth best 1987 Minnesota Twins). In the Wild Card Era (1995-2021), 8 of 27 (29.6%) of WS winners weren't even good enough to win their division. WS winners include 1997 Wild Card Marlins defeated the 9th best AL team (Cleveland) 2000 NY Yankees (9th best) defeated the Wild Card Mets 2002 Wild Card Anaheim defeated Wild Card Giants 2003 Wild Card Marlins (7th best record) 2004 Wild Card Boston 2006 Saint Louis wins with the 13th best record (83-79), by far the weakest "World Champion" in the history of baseball, among the worst of any sport ever. 2011 Wild Card Saint Louis (8th best record) 2014 Wild Card Giants (8th best) over Wild Card Royals (7th best) 2019 Wild Card Nationals (8th best) 2021 Atlanta Braves (12th best team) If the owners cram down a 14-16 playoff format, Jerry will call Hahn into his office and say "Why did you win 92 games last year, we spent to much, cut $40M and win 83 for a playoff birth. You rested guys the second half anyway, and the playoffs are nothing but a get hot one month crap shoot."

This wasn't unexpected, he stated he would take time after Game 5 to review with his family, and the reports were there was a definately possibility he wouldn't return. He really enjoyed his time at home when he sat out 2020.

it's not that Giolito, Rodon, Kimbrel and others are enamored with Collins. It's just that they'll take anyone over the "Highest Paid White Sox". Steve Stone on the one elite AL Central Catcher.

https://theathletic.com/2925206/2021/11/01/minor-leaguers-cite-steve-cohen-tweet-in-class-action-bid-to-force-mlb-to-produce-back-pay/?source=emp_shared_article How the "Millionaire" class lives. "Let them eat cake."

Assuming we will now hear from Hahn next Tuesday or Wednesday, with an update on club FAs, QOs, and Team Options, give surgery updates, etc. Option B: Bob Nightingale introduces Tony as the new Club President/Manager, Dave Stewart GM, via Twitter.