Chicago White Sox

QUOTE (thedoctor @ Sep 30, 2011 -> 04:39 PM) there has been some discussion that duncan will be done with baseball after this year. his wife is very ill. that said, i don't see larussa coming here. no special insight on that, just an opinion. Rogers was actually speculating that Duncan could join LaRussa as our bench coach.

Sounds like Martinez is probably on KW's short list. During his interview earlier today, KW said that it would take longer than a week to hire a new manager and alluded there may be a candidate on a potential playoff team that could delay his decision. Seems like Martinez is most likely that guy and I couldn't be happier. Honestly though, I'd be fine with Martinez or Alomar as our next manager. I also wouldn't mind Laker as our hitting coach and McEwing as our 3rd base coach, though I'm cool with whomever our new manager picks. I would love at least one coach to be hired from outside the organization and preferably that be our bench coach. I can't think of a name right now, but someone with past coaching experience would be nice.

Sounds like a 4 year extension for Cooper per the Score.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Sep 3, 2011 -> 08:48 AM) I truly am getting tired of Reinsdorf sticking his nose in there so much. It seems like Williams has no power whatsoever. He is the General Manager. Let him make the decisions or just have JR become the GM himself. Well Kenny is as good as gone. If he doesn't even have the power to fire the hitting coach, despite numerous players performing well below expectations, then he's in a lot of trouble. Also, this pretty much cements the theory that KW can not fire Ozzie, but I think most of already came to that conclusion.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 04:39 PM) Great post. The bottom line is some people can't handle people who don't agree with them. That's fine with me. Ptatc had a good take on Oz IMO. Yes Ozzie is going to win big the rest of his career. Unfortunately it appears it won't be with the Sox. Dave Martinez lovers will find plenty to criticize once we are 30 or so games into the season. LaRussa ... we all know there will be plenty to criticize there. My guess is when you match up Ozzie with whomever replaces him ... Ozzie will have the better resume and the better future. Other than one year, Ozzie can't even win big here with more expensive and talented rosters than his divisional rivals most years. Since 2005, his teams have regularly underperformed. Why is he going to suddenly win big in Florida? I think being in the NL will help some, but he's going to make the same mistakes he's made here both off and on the field. The Marlins will have even less patience with him and once they let him go, that very well may be the end of his career as a MLB manager. What is it about this guy that has you completely blinded?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 2, 2011 -> 08:46 AM) Which means he is going to be one of your back ups. And lets face it, he is faster, runs the bases better, and is a much better defender that Milledge. Rios offers nothing offensively. There's nothing wrong with having Milledge around in the event we need a RH pinch hitter. And to be honest, I don't like Rios being used as a defensive replacement, at least not this year. Not only has his effort been terrible, but he just seems clueless out there as of late. With September callups, I'd most likely give him and Dunn permanent spots on the bench. Speaking of which, if the Sox somehow pull off a miracle and make the playoffs, does Dunn even make the roster? I think you'd have to be crazy to include him on there at this point. The question is would KW/Ozzie be willing to add more embarrassment to his already sensitive state.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 11:01 PM) Hopefully 20 more years. The guy speaks the truth and people blast him. Some of you won't be happy until we get a grumpy ol manager like Ned Yost who won't say anything except "we take them one game at a time." Then you'll all be happy I guess. I applaud anything negative Ozzie has to say about these losers. You think talk means anything to these millionaires? They just go out and play every day. This Sox team doesn't deserve any long Ozzie speech about how we are still in the race, we can beat Detroit, blah blah. I love his colorful comments. They are way better than the cliches the rest of the managers spout daily. Detroit is not going to be any more fired up against us because of anything the Sox say. If the Sox hit home runs and pitch well they will win. If they do not hit home runs they will lose. And some of you really are gonna be mad cause look for Flowers to sit soon and look for DeAza to be sitting as well. How can you applaud Ozzie for criticizing these "losers" yet you don't mind him batting the biggest loser of all in the cleanup spot during the most important stretch of the season? As usual, Ozzie says some big words but does s*** to back them up. I'm honestly convinced you don't care about winning as long as Ozzie provides you with some amusing "quotes".

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 01:10 PM) You mean like when KW hired Ozzie? Because that's what happened. So you honestly believe that KW has or had the authority to fire Ozzie and hasn't done so already? I think it's clear that Reinsdorf is not letting his GM have full control of a decision that should rightfully be his. Maybe money is the driving factor here, but I have no doubt in my mind that KW would hire a new manager if he could. Unfortunately, we now have to deal with his and Ozzie's bulls*** until Reinsdorf lets one or both of them go. That's not way it should work, and if KW had a power that most GMs have, we probably wouldn't be dealing with nonsense right now. So if you want force a veteran manager who also happens to be one of Reinsdorf's buddies on a rookie GM, then I hope you're willing to accept another manager having more influence in the organization than he should really have.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 12:53 PM) I think it is probable both will be back. So you think we're going to win the World Series?

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 12:44 PM) No reason to believe Hahn would not want LaRussa. If Hahn wants LaRussa that's fine, but Reinsdorf should not force his hand. Especially when we're talking about a rookie GM and veteran manager. That just has trouble written all over it.

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Sep 1, 2011 -> 12:23 PM) I would love to see Dave Martinez as our new MGR. I do believe that Ozzie will be traded to Fla in the off season I hope both of these happen. Also, as long as our next manager is aware of splits and can actually understand what they mean, I'll be somewhat happy. I just can't believe in this era of information that there are managers who openly acknowledge they don't use statistics to help make decisions.

For the love of god, let our next GM pick his own manager. If Reinsdorf hires LaRussa and promotes Hahn, then there's a high probability of organizational dysfunction in the near future. After all the KW/Ozzie bulls***, isn't this something we'd like to avoid? Also, what's the odds that Hahn gets the GM job if KW is let go. I'd have to think 90% or so. I just don't see Reinsdorf looking outside the organization, unless he feels that Hahn is partly responsible for this mess and wouldn't bring enough change from KW.

Let's be honest, there are only three reasons people still like Ozzie at this point: 1) He's a proven winner by winning the World Series in 2005 2) He's very entertaining and says many silly/funny things 3) He keeps the clubhouse loose by putting the attention on himself Unfortunately, #2 has nothing to with winning and is a terrible reason to keep him as manager, yet people like greg deem it important. #1 is no longer relevant, since Ozzie's team have underperformed since 2005 and his arrogance has grown exponentially, which has resulted in some terrible tactical decisions just so he can put his stamp on the game. Even #3 no longer seems to be the case, whether it be his public fights with KW, his son airing the clubhouse's dirty laundry, or him demanding an extension during the final stretch of the season while being six games, his act has grown tiresome for the fans and I'd have to guess the players feel the same way. Plain and simple, Ozzie is a TERRIBLE manger and needs to go. Thanks for 2005, you had a good year then, but now it's time for change.

QUOTE (Greg Hibbard @ Aug 29, 2011 -> 12:11 PM) Let me be clear: I'm not rationalizing away the decisions that were made or excusing accountability. I think this organization was presented with a very bad set of choices this season and that it made some poor decisions when presented with those choices. However, the greatest impact on the season seems to be the 4-18 stretch that put us 11 games out and in last place, perpetually crawling back at a snail's pace. How much of Ozzie and Kenny was that stretch? In my mind it was the bullpen problems for most games, a little Pierre and a little Dunn and Rios. There's never just one cause for not making the playoffs, so there's no reason to try and pick just one. I agree that the players are the most responsible for us being down six games, but that doesn't mean we couldn't have a better record right now had Ozzie and KW done their jobs better. The fact is that Ozzie could have managed the lineup better and KW could have managed our roster (during the season) better Their poor decisions have cost us games in addition to certain players underperforming or having terrible stretches. Everyone, the players, the coaches, and the front office should be held accountable for the area they control. There is no reason to try and just pin it one one group.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 29, 2011 -> 11:44 AM) Again, we had options this year to lessen the blow (i.e., start batting Dunn lower in the lineup, bring up De Aza & Viciedo, etc.) Exactly. There is no excuse for Dunn batting 4th once it could be dermined that something was significantly wrong with him. I don't blame Ozzie for giving the guy an extended opportunity to come out of his slump, but at some point he should have moved him down the lineup. Him batting 4th, given other offensive struggles, totally killed our lineup. That's 100% on Ozzie and it could very well cost us the division in the end. Additionally, there's no excuse whatsoever for not calling Viciedo up earlier this season. Our offense has been struggling all year and he would have most likely been our third best hitter on arrival. Again, you had to give Dunn an opportunity to bounce back, but by the all-star break is was clear he most likely was unfixable this year. Viciedo could have slid in DH most of time and spelled Quentin/Pierre once or twice a week. This is 100% on KW. He's in charge of the roster and should have forced Guillen's hand. If we lose this division by a game or two, Viciedo over Dunn from July forward probably would have made up that difference.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 06:27 PM) I find that almost impossible to believe...you're saying the State of Illinois (or whomever the entity is that we lease US Cellular from, will actually compensate the White Sox at the average ticket price for every ticket less than 2 million that they do not sell? No way...maybe that would trigger a clause which would allow them to terminate their lease early...but compensate them? No way... I'm sure it's just a reduction in rent. If we draw less than 2 million fans, we just pay the state less money.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 20, 2011 -> 10:15 AM) Maybe I'm just in an uncomfortable position because I've heard too much "personal" stuff about Hahn from his former Harvard Law classmates for me to ever have a positive opinion about him. Maybe he's changed as a person since he was 22-25. I sincerely hope so. First off, how many of his former Harvard Law classmates could you possibly know. Second, why in god's name would you judge someone for their actions when they were 22 - 25. Short of rape or murder, I think it's absolutely insane to hold someone's behavior when they were young against them years after the fact.

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 20, 2011 -> 09:42 AM) Who negotiated Dunn's contract, the richest, longest DH contract of all time, Kenny or Hahn? I don't get why people keep bringing up free agent contracts as a sign of his negotiating abilities. 90% of free agents go to the place offering the most money. Unless you pay well over what the next offer is, like the Rangers did with A-Rod or the Cubs did with Soriano, the price you get a free agent for has little do with negotiations (at least from the team's perspective) but rather what the market bears. If you want to judge him, I'd look more at extensions, arbitration matters, and draft pick signings. Those are the areas where I see his negotiating skills coming into play. Eventually as a GM, his ability to negotiate with other GMs would be critical, but I doubt he's had much exposure to that in his current role.

Unless you know the guy, I think it's wrong to question his hunger and heart. Hahn is a guy who spent 10 years trying to get into a baseball front office. With his credentials, I'm sure he passed up on a lot of money to do so. I would never doubt his hunger...the guy definitely wants to a GM and has worked his ass off to be in a position to become one. As for his heart, who really knows. I'm sure he's somewhat excited about the Cubs opening, but at the same time Reinsdorf is the man that first gave him a chance and by all accounts is one of the best owners to work for in sports. He'd probably have better job security working for Reinsdorf than he would for Ricketts. And I'm sure Hahn has some loyalty for Reinsdorf despite growing up a Cubs fan. That's not to say that the Cubs position isn't his dream job, none of us really know, but I honestly he'd feel somewhat guilty going to his current team's market rival. If you want to question his lack of scouting experience that's more than fair, but by all accounts Hahn is a smart, driven, loyal, and good-hearted person. His character is definitely not an issue.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Aug 19, 2011 -> 01:37 PM) I really want to see Reinsdorf do what he did with the Bulls, when he moved Pax up and Forman became GM. Especially since Pax and Kenny are so similar, as are Hahn and Forman. How so? Forman has a scouting background with college coaching experience. Sounds nothing like Hahn to me.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 19, 2011 -> 05:46 PM) When you have guys on the dl it gives you maneuvers around that rule. I thought the rule allows the 25 man roster as of August 31st + Humber to be playoff eligible. Is that not the case?

Seems to me that I'd call up the minor leaguer with the best chance of helping in the playoffs since he'll be playoff eligible if he stays on the roster through the end of August. Josh Kinney is definitely not that guy. My guess is he won't be on the roster come August 31st. Hopefully Viciedo can get healthy soon, because this would be a great way to make him playoff eligible and allow us a little more roster flexibility come playoff time.

Every great GM has started off as an unknown quantity, just with different backgrounds and levels of experience. Hahn may not have a scouting or player development background, but he's got 11 years experience in a major league front office. Furthermore, he's incredibly intelligent with graduate degrees from both Harvard Law and Kellogg. He's got the business background that's becoming more common with new GM hires, and let's be honest, those guys have been doing a tremendous job so far. On top of that, he's a tremendous negotiator, which is a great skill to have in the current baseball environment. Beyond his resume, he's been rated as a top two GM candidate by Baseball America two years in a row. Those rankings are based on feedback from executives around the league. Plus he's been asked to interview for several GM openings in the past few years. I can't recall which positions, maybe the Pirates and Mets, but I do know the guy has turned some interviews down. So not only do other organizations value him, he must think pretty highly of himself to pass on available opportunities when there are only 30 positions in total. There's obviously a lot of risk in hiring Hahn, but not any more than hiring any other rookie GM candidate. Surround him with the right baseball people and I think he could build a quality organization. Unfortunately for us, we might have to make a decision on him this off-season, since I have a feeling the Cubs will be calling and that's one of the few jobs he's probably holding out for. So if we do make the playoffs, JR may have to make a tough decision between Hahn and KW. It's never easy going with an unknown quantity at the GM position while trying to compete, but other organizations have done so recently and successfully. If Reinsdorf thinks as highly of Hahn as those around the league do, then he very well could knock KW out of the GM position in the off-season even if we make the playoffs this year.

I don't care if we make the playoffs or not, there has to be changes at the end of the year. Ozzie and KW can simply not co-exist long-term. There is just too much bad blood and philosophical differences between the two. At least one of them has to go. IMO, Ozzie has warn out his welcome here with his constant drama and has done a below average job managing the team the last few years. If he stays, he'd have an even stronger stranglehold on the organization and that's really scary. If do we get rid of KW, then the new GM should be able to pick his own guy. I'm actually starting to like the idea of Hahn as GM. He's incredibly intelligent and it seems like the game is starting to value that more than previous baseball experience. Guys like Friedman and Epstein are proof of that. He seems like a pretty popular name around the league and my guess is if we don't offer him the job, he'll be the next GM of the Cubs. I think you got to make a long-term decision on KW this offseason and if he's the not the guy, offer Hahn the job and maybe KW a John Paxson type position, although I'm not sure he'll go for that. Regardless, do not force a manger on our GM. If KW, Hahn or whomever wants Larussa, then so be it, but I don't want any more power struggles and lack of accountability.

Side Show Bob / Cape Fear episode.