South Side Hit Men

Jerry has reason to believe the future is bright for his Chicago White Sox. If Jerry hires all three, who is the one voice / decision maker? Would bet Jerry listens to Tony, just as he did when Tony told Jerry to fire Kenny and Rick. Do we believe in Omar Vizquel & Wes Helms as managers and people? Perhaps Dayton Moore does. Chris Getz built this Charlotte Knights 43-78 "Project" Birmingham 40-70 HOFer - Jerry's Dog Whisperer

The news that Tony has returned as Jerry's eyes and ears? 40 minutes ago at home

Yep, well this saves me the final six weeks of the season if true. See you when there is a new owner or in the off chance these reports miraculously don't happen. "I see a bright future for our White Sox, and its name is Tony La Russa." - Jerry Reinsdorf August 23, 2023, Yet another day which will live in White Sox infamy.

Yes, April 2009.

Worst case Jerry World scenarios: EVP Tony La Russa and GM Dave Stewart EVP Hawk Harrelson and GM Wimperoo EVP Dayton Moore and GM Chris Getz EVP Kenny Williams and GM Rick Hahn return in 2024, possibly for the last season

Bob is an assclown, but he's Jerry's assclown.

I honestly rather have Pedro EVP and or GM than Chris Getz and or Dayton Moore. Tell your season ticket reps Getz / Moore save for Hawk/Tony or Getz/Haber are the only possible combinations possibly worse than what he had. To you friends, tell your neighbors.

I believe Jerry already has a hire in mind, possibly has a verbal agreement, similar to the Tony situation. Staying positive, hoping and seriously believing Jerry will avoid hiring Hawk, Tony, Kenny Williams Jr., Chris Getz, John Paxson and/or Jeremy Haber as the permanent new EVP or GM. They didn't announce an interim GM, but have to assume it's Chris Getz, which is fine, unless Jerry plans to announce his selection relatively soon. If it was my club, would have either done this in June in time for the draft and trade deadline (or 2015/2016), or would perform a legitimate executive search led by Theo or someone ($250K-$500K for a 6-8 week process). I sincerely believe there will be a substantial front office improvement heading into the 2023-2024 offseason. It took a lot to get to this point for Jerry; he's going to want this to succeed in terms of his comfort level / way of operating.

I believe this marks the end of Nihilist SoxTalk. October 29, 2020 - August 22, 2023 Rest in Peace

Apparently Jerry had serious and frank conversations about the state of his franchise at the HOF ceremony in Cooperstown, which led to the process that culminated in this decision happening today. I assume Tony La Russa was one of the persons who spoke with Jerry. The key at this point is will the new person have full authority over Baseball Operations, including choices over everyone in the organization including replacing Pedro Grifol, Daryl Boston, Chris Getz, and anyone / everyone else as they see fit.

White Sox General Manager Records through August 21, 2023 Ties excluded .534 1,115 - 968 Charles Comiskey (1901 - 1914) (1906 World Series; 1901 A. L. Pennant) .487 2,285 - 2,408 Harry Grabiner (1915 - 1945) (1917 World Series; 1919 A. L. Pennant) .468 144 - 164 Leslie O'Connor (1946 - 1947) .496 610 - 620 Frank Lane (1948 - 1955) .556 257 - 205 Charles Comiskey II & John Rigney (1956 - 1958) .565 246 - 189 Hank Greenberg (1959 - August 25, 1961) (1959 A. L. Pennant) .511 749 - 717 Ed Short (August 26, 1961 - September 1, 1970) .504 173 - 170 Stu Holcomb (September 2, 1970 - 1972) .489 999-1,042 Roland Hemond (1973 - 1985) .418 23 - 32 Hawk Harrelson (April 7,1986 - June 9, 1986) .458 49 - 58 Tom Haller (June 10, 1986 - 1986) .481 311 - 335 Larry Himes (1987 - 1990) .527 817 - 734 Ron Schueler (1990 - 2000) .521 1,014 - 931 Kenny Williams (2001 - 2012) (2005 World Series) .456 749 - 893 Rick Hahn (2013 - August 21, 2023)

Cancelled Keep what's left of our Lakefront Forever Free of Clutter.

So, did they call back tonight?

This is a day to celebrate. Rick saw the writing on the wall and said so with his comments after the Giolito trade. My only concern is the part of the statement "and anticipate having an individual in place by the end of the season". This will preclude someone currently at President / EVP level on another team, leaving either internal candidates or someone currently out of a job. It's good they get a jump on other teams by beginning the search before the end of the season competing with other teams, but there should be no rush to fill the spot by October 2. It's more important to get a long term fit. Also, Larry Himes was the lone person Jerry hired in either organization from outside the organization to lead baseball/basketball operations. Michael hired Arturas Karnisovas. That said, I am staying positive and thinking Jerry learned from the process and is open to a legitimate search process beyond picking the next glass in the cupboard, which would be Chris Getz. It's really important to have a solid person in place to make solid decisions from here on out.

Thank you for your service Kenny and always for 2005! That said, this calls for a White Sox Supercut!!

I would imagine Hahn and Kenny are signed through 2024. I can see Jerry eating a year of Hahn / making up a bullshit title/role for him like his boy Paxson through his death and transition to new owners. Don't think Kenny wants things to end this way for his career, so do see him fighting to either run the final year (from Arizona or temp living here for spurts) or at minimum help Jerry interview / transition into another front office and leave when his deal is up in 2024. Does Jerry know and or trust anyone externally to hand the keys to beyond Tony (please no) and Kim Ng (not sure she wants to leave Miami after finally getting full say)? He knew Krause from the Sox, Paxson from the Bulls. Himes (California Angels) was the only external guy he brought in with the Sox, and got rid of him quick because he was competent and disregarded Jerry's nonsense input.

Distance isn't as importance as television rights, especially if there are regional packages to air Atlanta games in Nashville. Washington is really screwed with Baltimore owning their own rights and getting a substantial portion of Washington Local TV revenue. Oakland was limited in terms of San Jose and other stadium possibilities with the Giants' substantial regional rights. Think Nashville is more likely as an expansion with the large fee plus a reimbursement to Atlanta included. Baltimore is the one exception, can sell Washington their Baltimore rights and use the funds to reimburse Atlanta, more or less. The other factor is the Sox own their cable television network. Sure they can establish one in Nashville, but their Chicago holding here which Jerry owns 75% of will take a massive dive in value with no replacement April - September programing. Can't see Jerry wanting to sell the team and not knowing / controlling what will happen to his network, including what will happen if a lot of carriers drop with a lack of programing for 6 months a year. Many passed on carrying the Cubs Network for the same reason (high costs, half the year live programing). Have to think Jerry will want to sell the Sox portion, and the new owner would want that portion unless they are buying with the intention to relocate. So Jerry is motivated to sell to an owner that intends to stay.

All of the two market teams fled during major geographical shifts in population to the West and South after WWII and after air conditioning became common in the south and southwest. 1954 was the last year a dual team city lost one team permanently. Vegas has half the population of SF/OAK, not sure they can sustain their high growth rate with water limitations. Montreal and Mexico City are the two most viable North American expansion / relocation cities IMO. I don't see a strong argument for adding or relocating to any domestic area at this point. Team Relocations 1952 - 1971 Dual Team Cities Subsequently Replaced (Includes "Half" Replaced NYC N. L.) (# of lost seasons) 1957 Brooklyn N. L. (Established 1884, 1/2 replaced in 1962 (4)) 1957 New York N. L. (Established 1883, 1//2 replaced in 1962 (4)) Dual Team City Not Replaced 1952 Boston N. L. (Established 1876) 2020 Population Rank #10 1953 Saint Louis A. L. (Relocated from Milwaukee in 1902) 2020 Population Rank #21 1954 Philadelphia A. L. (Established in 1901) 2020 Population Rank #7 Single Team Cities Subsequently Replaced 1960 Washington A. L. (Established 1901, replaced in 1961 (0)) 1965 Milwaukee N. L. (Relocated 1953, replaced in 1970 (4)) 1967 Kansas City A. L. (Relocated in 1955, replaced in 1969 (1)) 1969 Seattle A. L. (Established 1969, replaced in 1977 (7)) 1971 Washington A. L. (Established 1961, replaced in 2005 (33)) Single Team City Not Replaced 2004 Montreal N. L (Established 1969) (2020 US Census metropolitan statistical population rank + 2022 Estimates for North America over 3.0M ) 20.9M Mexico City (Mexico) 20.1M (2) New York - Newark - Jersey City (CT, NJ, NY, PA) 13.2M (2) Los Angeles - Long Beach - Anaheim (CA) 9.6M (2) Chicago - Naperville - Elgin (ILL, IN, WI) 7.6M (1) Dallas - Forth Worth - Arlington (TX) 7.1M (1) Houston - Pasadena - The Woodlands (TX) 6.7M (1) Toronto (Ontario, Canada) 6.4M (1) Washington - Arlington - Alexandria (DC, MD, VA, WV) 6.2M (1) Philadelphia - Camden - Wilmington (DE, NJ, MD, PA) 6.1M (1) Miami - Fort Lauderdale - West Palm Beach (FLA) 6.1M (1) Atlanta - Sandy Springs - Roswell (GA) 4.9M (1) Boston - Cambridge - Newton (MA, NH) 4.9M Guadalajara (Mexico) 4.8M (1) Phoenix - Mesa - Chandler (AZ) 4.7M (2) San Francisco - Oakland - Fremont (CA) 4.7M Monterrey (Mexico) 4.6M Riverside - San Bernardino - Ontario (CA) 4.4M (1) Detroit - Warren - Dearborn (MI) 4.3M Montreal (Quebec, Canada) 4.0M (1) Seattle - Tacoma - Bellevue (WA) 3.7M Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) 3.7M (1) Minneapolis - Saint Paul - Bloomington (MN, WI) 3.3M (1) San Diego - Chula Vista - Carlsbad (CA) 3.2M (1) Tampa - Saint Petersburg - Clearwater (FLA) 3.0M (1) Denver - Aurora - Centennial (CO) 2.8M (1) Baltimore - Columbia - Towson (MD 2.8M (1) Saint Louis (ILL, MO) 2.7M Orlando - Kissimmee - Sanford (FLA) 2.7M Charlotte - Concord - Gastonia (NC, SC) 2.6M San Antonio - New Braunfels (TX) 2.5M Portland - Vancouver - Hillsboro (OR, WA) 2.4M Sacramento - Roseville - Folsom (CA) 2.4M (1) Pittsburgh (PA) 2.3M Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos (TX) 2.3M Las Vegas - Henderson - North Las Vegas (NV) 2.3M (1) Cincinnati (IN, KY, OH) 2.2M (1) Kansas City (KS, MO) 2.1M Columbus (OH) 2.1M Indianapolis - Carmel - Greenwood (IN) 2.1M (1) Cleveland (OH) 2.0M San Jose - Sunnyvale - Santa Clara (CA) 2.0M Nashville - Davidson - Murfreesboro - Franklin (TN) 1.8M Virginia Beach - Chesapeake - Norfolk (NC, VA) 1.7M Providence - Warwick (MA, RI) 1.6M Jacksonville (FLA) 1.6M (1) Milwaukee - Waukesha (WI)

It's ultimately based on the lottery balls. The worst team gets a higher chance, but no guarantee to pick within the first six spots. Teams are ranked by record for the remaining first round positions (7-30 plus supplemental picks). All rounds after the first round + first round supplemental picks are based on team record. So the Sox could pick 7th in the first round, and 3rd all other rounds if they finish with the 3rd worst record. Lottery Ball Allocations: 28th - 30th (16.5% each) 27th (13.2%) 26th (10.0%) 25th (7.5%) 24th (5.5%) 23rd (3.9%) 22nd (2.7%) Next lowest nine teams (decreasing odds from 1.8% to 0.2%). Restrictions: Large Market Teams (Teams which do not receive revenue sharing including the White Sox) winning a lottery cannot pick in the top 10 the following season. Small Market Teams (Revenue sharing teams) cannot pick 1-6 in three consecutive years. Large Market Teams Washington and Texas are restricted from picking in the Top 10 in 2024 based on the 2023 lottery results. Request for SoxTalk - Please respond with a list of 2022 / 2023 revenue sharing teams. I cannot find.

The August 2003 amendment starts on page 361. The April 2008 renewal agreement starts on page 421. https://www.isfauthority.com/assets/management-agreement-with-all-amendments2.pdf Rent: The Sox pay the following effective 2011 through November 30, 2029: $1.5M each season $0.00 for paid attendance through 1,925,000 tickets. $3.00 for each paid ticket 1,925,001 - 2,425,000 $4.00 for each paid ticket 2,425,001 - 2,625,000 $5.00 for each paid ticket 2,625,001 - 2,825,000 $7.00 for each paid ticket 2,825,001 and above. The White Sox get a 50% credit of "Other Taxes" charged on tickets not to exceed the fees for selling 1.925M + tickets (Page 423; Other Taxes are listed on Page 426-427, so all the taxes you see on each ticket sold above the base amount the Sox get 50% back if they have to pay a penny plus for over 1.925M attendance). Team Rights: The Sox are entitled to a maintenance subsidy per season, ranging from $2.669M in FY 2004 through $4.378M in FY 2029. The Sox are entitled to $3.4M in naming rights per season. Team entitled to several renovations listed on page 375. Current Term & 1 Year Extension: The Sox have until November 30, 2028 to give notice to the IFSA to extend the lease by one year, from the current end date of November 30, 2029 to November 30, 2030.

So then I found the actual full OG agreement online, listing the ISFA as acquiring all lots north and south of the stadium. See Exhibit A-2 Pages 94-95 for the plots of land acquired by the ISFA, including OG Comiskey Park parking lots. See Exhibit A-3 Pages 96-97 for current layout https://www.isfauthority.com/assets/management-agreement-with-all-amendments2.pdf Any land the White Sox owned within the current stadium or parking lot boundaries prior to the ISFA was acquired by the ISFA in the late 1980s.

That's possible. Perhaps someone in the title industry can perform a search. My understanding is the renewed lease (effective 2011) requires the Sox to pay the ISFA $1.5M plus an additional amount if they exceed 1.9M fans (like $3 a ticket, at least for the first 100K - 200K above) and in return receive all gameday stadium net revenue. Field of Schemes has always been my favorite site in terms of following these deals across sports. https://www.fieldofschemes.com/2023/08/22/20304/jerry-reinsdorf-threatens-to-move-white-sox-out-of-chicago-isnt-this-where-we-came-in/ For the first 20 years, the White Sox paid $2.50 for each ticket sold between 1,200,001 and 2,000,000 (so $1,750,000 for 1,900,000 fans), $250,000 for the next 100,000, and then $1.5 for each paid ticket over 2,000,000. They also were required to pay 35% of media fees for stadium advertisements above $2.0M, and the same for Broadcast revenue above $10M (which Jerry has control over, since Jerry owns half the cable sport station). The Tribune played similar shenanigans with the TV and Radio deals. https://law.marquette.edu/assets/sports-law/pdf/ls-mlb-chicago.pdf Jerry got an even better deal, also a free restaurant, and when the Executive Director Perri Irmer tried to stop it, Jerry had Thompson and the board fire her and lock her out of her office. She sued Jerry but lost the case, and now has another politically connected job as the CEO of the DuSable Museum. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-04-17-ct-met-isfa-lawsuit-irmer-20130417-story.html

No, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority owns the stadium, stadium land and surrounding parking lots.