Thad Bosley

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 10:13 AM) This is my point exactly. This is what you get out of the team. Nothing good at all. Every single post is misery. It is like Kathy Bates has Jerry Reinsdorf locked in the room with your keyboard. Correction: this is what "we" have "gotten" out of the team during Reinsdorf's years as owner, from a purely team results point of view. Our Sox did not win one playoff series in 34 of his 35 years as owner - that's been unfortunate for us all. What Kansas City Royals fans have gotten to experience these past two years with their team going deep into the postseason in consecutive seasons, Reinsdorf has failed to provide us such an experience in 35 years. That's the record of the past and it is certainly worthy of mention and debate. Now moving forward, I, as would most of the fans at this site who are more team results-oriented and less insults-to-other-fans focused, we simply would like more winning and more active participation in the postseason. How much more simply stated could that be. There are legitimate questions and concerns, however, as to whether Reinsdorf and his management team can make that happen based on their less-than-impressive track record. I HOPE THEY DO! It's fine if some fans like yourself, SS2K5, don't necessarily need to see the team in the postseason any more frequently than the pace they currently make it there. That's up to you to decide for yourself. But for the rest of us, just be respectful of our desire for the U.S. Cellular electric bill to be much higher in October more frequently than it has been over the past few decades.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) He's mocking you, and it went over your head. Lol - umm, yes, I knew that, but don't you agree it was more interesting to treat the pesky little comment as if he did mean it? I thought so, at least, and that's what I did. Hope you enjoyed the retort!

QUOTE (captain54 @ Oct 17, 2015 -> 02:07 PM) I think Reinsdorf should count his blessings that the media coverage is sparse… it could be a real eye opener for the fans, and for citizens of Illinois I don't remember much of this mentioned in the media… Reinsdorf being sued by an ISFA official for pulling strings to have her removed, for trying to re-negotiate the deal not only with the stadium but with the then to be build Bacardi in the Park On April 25, 2011, Irmer arrived to work and "discovered that she had been locked out of her office and denied access to her computer and personal property," her suit alleges. "She saw that [Thompson and an aide] were waiting for her and the former governor summoned her into a conference room." Thompson gave her "the choice of resigning or waiting to be fired, and he added that if she refused to resign and they 'had to' fire her, that her reputation would be ruined," according to the suit. She was fired two days later, the suit says. "In no uncertain terms, Perri Irmer was terminated as the direct and proximate result of Jerry Reinsdorf's exercise of undue influence over former Governor Thompson," says the suit. too bad Reinsdorf's legendary loyalty doesn't extend to the taxpayers of the state of Illinois, for footing the bill in order for he and the legion of very wealthy investors and their families to become even wealthier Never heard the outcome of that suit, but at the time it was reported by the Tribune, the article mentioned that once Ms. Irmer successfully got the Sox to actually start paying rent in 2008 for a stadium that they were simply reaping all of the rewards from at no cost to them, it was all over but the shouting for her. According to the Trib, Reinsdorf immediately began lobbying the Blago to get her fired, which eventually culminated in the actions taken by Thompson as noted above. Let that be a lesson for anyone thinking they can tinker with Jerry Reinsdorf's sweet heart lease deal with the state of Illinois that he received by threatening to move the team to Florida if his demands weren't met. That's the esteemed leader of our White Sox right there, in all of his glory. If only Reinsdorf were as good at producing sustainable, winning ball clubs as he is at blackmail, maybe we all would have prospered somewhat as a result of the sweet heart deal instead of only Reinsdorf and the investors. They've become immensely wealthy; meanwhile, we've only seen postseason play come to U.S. Cellular Field just four times in the ballpark's 25 year existence.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 17, 2015 -> 09:19 PM) Yep Reimsdorf is trying to screw all of us. That's an interesting theory, and if you have any evidence to back it up, I'm sure we'd all be interested in hearing about it. In the meantime, let's be very clear in what most of the rest of us are talking about as it relates to the state of things today with the White Sox. No one other than Dick Allen with his post here has suggested that Mr. Reinsdorf has "screwed all of us", per se. But he has FAILED US. Failed us on so many fronts over the years, they're too numerous to count at this point!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 17, 2015 -> 09:01 AM) That is the most ridiculous justification of misery I have ever read. You sound like a battered spouse who is still trying to fix him. If you actually enjoyed the team at all, you wouldn't be constantly be complaining about the last 35 years all of the time. Another throw away comment only meant to insult, when you can't refute facts. So sad for you. Meanwhile, in 34 of Jerry Reinsdorf's 35 years of ownership of our White Sox, the team has failed to win even one playoff series. Not one! It's almost impossible to believe. The Kansas City Royals have a more impressive postseason record during this same time period, for crying out loud. That's why when we true diehard fans see the kinds of results we've seen as recently as the past decade, and yet the operating model still continues to be dominated by an unaccountable loyalty program, you see the angst in so many comments at a site like this. It also explains the miserably low attendance and TV ratings. These are the facts of the past as they relate to Reinsdorf's management of the team. He's been a complete disaster as owner. Now, can he and his unaccountable henchmen find a way to turn this thing around and find that elusive "sustained success" they've been "talking about" for so long now? I guess it's possible - anything can happen. But boy oh boy, their track record doesn't create much confidence in their ability to do so. I hope they prove me wrong!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 04:22 PM) You might think that you enjoy the good more, but you sure focus on the bad, almost exclusively. Life it what you make of it, and being a fan of a team isn't much different. I do enjoy the "good more", which is why I, unlike you, continue to look forward and strive for better than what we've achieved. You and Dick Allen are very clear in your acceptance of the status quo. Long ago, fans like you and Dick Allen kind of gave up, seemingly, and resigned yourselves to season after season of little to no expectations. That's why you're not disappointed in the team's results that practically every other fan base wouldn't tolerate. How else do you explain someone like Dick Allen pointing to seasons like 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2010 as "exciting seasons"? They were certainly better than many other dreadful seasons the Reinsdorf era has coughed up on us, but that doesn't make them exciting in the classical sense. You and Dick Allen focus more on excuse making for the horrid record of Reinsdorf over the past 35 years than I do reporting accurately on it, which is saying something, given my consistency of pointing it out. Life is what you make of it, as you rightly suggest. If that involves settling for much less than you should, then that's ok, if that's what you desire. It's also ok if you strive for something a little bit more, which overwhelmingly, the majority of fans of our White Sox on this site seem to do.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 01:56 PM) If in 35 years, you have enjoyed yourself 1 season, I think any of us would conclude it's time to move on, but you appear to be someone who embraces whining and complaining. You must go to a restaurant, and wait to see how successful they become to determine if you enjoyed the meal. It must be tough for you to go to a movie when it first comes out because you won't know if you liked it until it's final box office numbers are in. It definitely appears you would rather complain about something than to enjoy it. That really is a shame. Life is good. Only the White Sox can be criticized and whined about 32 years later for being AHEAD of their time. Why is it you were willing to pay to watch them in 2005? Wrong song, LeRoy! I'd much rather enjoy and be chatting about good White Sox baseball than complain about bad White Sox baseball. Unfortunately, we've had more of the latter than former the past 35 years under the leadership of you-know-who. But you are correct about one thing - life is good! I just want White Sox baseball to be good as well, and enjoy more of it in the form of exciting postseason play than we have in the past 35 years. That little request there - more postseason play - is the point I keep making but which you inexplicably keep equating to complaining and whining and moaning and this and that. I don't know why you do that, but you do. It seems to be your thing. That's ok, though. I can handle it. I'll just "olay" that charging bull off to the side and continue on my merry way. Why? Because as a wise man once said: "Life is good."

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 16, 2015 -> 05:04 AM) You think this years teams making their league championship series are exciting, yet when the White Sox made their league championship series in 1983, 1993, not exciting. I guess the difference is I can watch something and immediately enjoy it. Apparently you need 6 months and final results to see if you enjoyed it or not. Not surprising. Too bad the Rangers season could have been exciting, but 3 consecutive errors ruined everything, therefore a dull season. Actually, and maybe you know this, Dick Allen, but was 1983 "exciting"? Most of us, the very great majority of us, in fact, certainly heard it was, but we wouldn't really know. Because that year, due to one of King Reinsdorf's many franchise-crippling moves from over the years, that particular team was practically hidden away from us on that brilliant brain child of Reinsdorf and Einhorn's known as "Sportsvision". So instead of having 150 games or so on free TV like the Cubs did the next season in '84 during their successful run that year, which made them wildly popular throughout the city and beyond, that '83 team, which was a very good team, was seen on free TV a mere 32 times, with the balance on Sportsvision, which practically no one subscribed to. I, like so many, had to rely on the broadcast stylings of one Joe McConnell on WMAQ radio to paint the mental image of what was happening on the field with that '83 team. So if it was exciting, it's only because McConnell told us so, thanks to that failed get-rich-quick Sportsvision scheme.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 07:03 PM) You have made my point. You can't tell if a season is exciting or not until the playoffs are over. Too bad you missed out on some fun times. 1983, 1990,1993, 1994 until the strike, 2000, 2006 was fun for a good while, 2008, the Blackout game was a joy, 2010 when they had a really hot stretch. There were some good times in other seasons as well. 2012 being in first place unexpectedly most of the season, 2003 first place in the middle of September, 2004, a great team until Maggs and The Big Hurt went down, too bad you didn't find those exciting. But keep on mentioning those 35 years. Start another thread about how you are going to choose a new team, then post the same tired post the next 6 months about JR and his 35 year reign of terror. LOL - well the next time I start a thread about choosing a new team will be my first, but hey! Don't let facts get in the way of you whining about something you can't argue against. In the meantime, why don't you go start your own thread about how you are going to choose a new team, and let us know how that works out for you. And thanks for proving the point that so many of the rest of us have made about what really defines an exciting season. If you are going to put seasons like 2006, 2010, 2003, and 2004 on par with the excitement that's going on now as we speak with the teams in the playoffs, well, I don't know what to tell you. Next thing you'll be citing the various "fun" winning streaks we've had throughout the years, too. Woo hoo! Meanwhile, I wonder how many Cardinals, or Yankees, or Giants, or Braves fans, etc, when asked to name their exciting seasons, have to settle for naming seasons that they failed to make the playoffs in. I can understand why you would, given the dearth of playoff action in these past 35 years of Reinsdorf's failure as owner of the White Sox.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 06:16 PM) Yes you did. You said they have had 1 exciting season in 35 years. And you have said you were going to give up your fan card. I guess you find whining about JR more attractive than rooting for a winning team. Lol - oh, c'mon. What are you doing here. You are twisting words left and right. First you say I said " the only way a season could be exciting is if the Sox won the WS", and then you clarify that by saying that I said the Sox " have had 1 exciting season in 35 years". You do realize that's two completely different statements, don't you? The first is, as I already mentioned, something I've never, ever said. I've never said that the only way a season could be exciting is if the Sox won the WS. Never, ever, and I'll eat my hat if you can go back and find a quote where I said such a dumb thing. (Don't worry, dear Hat of mine - you are in no danger!) As for the second quote about the one good season in the past 35, under the Reinsdorf regime, I certainly did assert that there has only been one truly exciting season during Reinsdorf's horrific reign as owner, that of course being '05. The other 34 years - only four playoff appearances with only four playoff wins among all four. That's not very exciting at all, now is it. Obviously there was excitement in the anticipation leading up to those playoff appearances, but those were quickly squashed by the results (particularly the 0-3 sweep by the Mariners in '00 and the 1-3 quick in & out against the Rays in '08). I could soften my stance a little bit, I guess, and say '83 was exciting, since it was the first trip to the postseason in 24 years at that point, even if we were outscored 18-1 in those final three games. But all in all, '05 was truly the only showing worthy of note during the past 35 years. No doubt about it! Finally, the only one really "whining", "moaning", and/or "complaining" around here is you, ironically enough. Seems to be your go-to option when you can't argue a point that you want to. If you don't agree with someone's criticism of Reinsdorf, or Williams, or whatever, just say it. Provide evidence or suggestions to the contrary. But don't throw down with the weak name calling. That's not interesting in any aspect.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 06:06 PM) Says the guy who once posted the only way a season could be exciting is if the Sox won the WS. That would be a complete falsehood, Kind Sir. I have never, ever said anything of the sort. This is the second time you've accused me of saying something I didn't, most recently some silliness about me once saying I was going to take my business to the north side of town. That, too, gets filed in the "I have never, ever" category. You ought to really be sure of what you are saying before you say it. This is starting to get a bit reckless on your part. Just sayin'!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 02:26 PM) If in October of 2005, you had the choice of the White Sox winning the WS and having the next decade go like it has gone, or losing the WS and duplicating the Tigers since then with a WS appearance, and plenty of playoff appearances, but no wins, what do you choose? I'll take Option C, which you didn't offer up but I'm taking it anyway, which is to have that wonderful WS championship experience of '05, AND take advantage of the new playoff system of recent years and maybe have had 2-3 more playoff appearances since '05 as well. Now I'm not greedy, mind you - I'm not saying I expected 2-3 more WS championships. That would, of course, be silly. But just step into that postseason more frequently than we have so we can have some freakin' FUN, for chrissakes. It is NOT fun to have to watch as many meaningless games in our empty ballpark in September and then NONE in October like we've had to do for practically the last decade. So it's not an either/or proposition, the Sox' experience of the past decade vs. that of the Tigers. I'll take the '05 experience, with just a little more white sock waving opportunities in October than we've been provided in the last decade. I don't think that's too much to ask!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 01:10 PM) It is unrealistic to want the owner to sell and everyone in the organization fired. I also will never understand the need to have the team win something before baseball is worth watching. It is like some deep seeded insecurity that needs filling with something artificial like sports. It may be unrealistic to "expect" the owner to sell (sadly enough), but it's certainly not unrealistic to "want" him to sell, because believe you me, we need the "post Reinsdorf" era to begin sooner rather than later. 35 years of this ownership, whether you look at the last ten years, the first ten years, or whatever - enough is enough! The organization needs a bold new strategy and vision, because what's been in place is not working, and I don't think after 35 years that Mr. Reinsdorf is capable at this point of doing anything much differently than what he has been doing. Maybe I'm wrong, and if he cares to prove me wrong, I'm certainly open to it, but I don't see that happening. As for your second comment about needing to win vs. just finding baseball "worth watching", well, we have been watching, at least the people who frequent this site. We've been watching for a long time now. Despite the less-than-desirable product we've been presented with for quite some time, we still find it worth watching. Why? Because through it all, we remain Sox fans, through and through. So we are watching. Now the question is, is it too much to ask to sprinkle in a little more winning than has been the case for the past ten years? Is it too much to ask for the opportunity to wave "white socks" like a crazy person at U.S. Cellular Field in mid-October, cheering madly for the team we love, at least more frequently than one or two games per decade? That is the ask here. For those who find this request some form of "whining" or "complaining" or "moaning" or whatever, so be it. Call it what you want. But that's what true White Sox fans crave for their ballclub - success! And by golly, we are not going to stop talking about it until we get it!!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 09:39 AM) Then there is the Soxtalk Plan Step 1: Cry about everything, making a bunch of unrealistic demands Step 2: ? This is so disingenuous. I mean, really? What the devil are you talking about? No one is crying about anything and making unrealistic demands. You have diehard fans here reacting to the very poor results of this organization for the past several years and simply asking for better. Aren't you frustrated after watching the crap the Sox rolled out in 2015 and then seeing the caliber of teams that are in the playoffs right now, and all of the excitement surrounding that for the fans of those teams? If you consider yourself passionate about this team, then being frustrated with the results should be expected, and it should come as no surprise that legitimate criticism is then leveled here against the management team that has brought these types of poor results for a full decade now. If you are not frustrated at this point and/or are content with the past ten seasons, then one could easily suggest you are more of a casual fan than a diehard. And that is fine if you are, but then don't be critical of those fans who take this a tad bit more seriously.

QUOTE (MindGame2004 @ Oct 15, 2015 -> 07:25 AM) Start with Kenny. He has to go. To a greater extent, Jerry does too. The two of them could care less about the farm system. There's no revenue in it. They've been tinkering with the same bad team now for years, adding free agents and trading for veterans while all the while not fluxing any kind of talent into the big club from the farm. They're hellbent on pitching but have no one who can field or hit. In a hitter friendly ballpark they play 81 games in no less. Rick Hahn seems like a smart guy, but if he has Kenny stepping on his head, it doesn't really matter how smart he is. Then you have Robin, who while being a total waste of a manager, has this dysfunction above him. Could Joe Maddon manage a team with this kind of front office? He's worked for Andrew Friedman and Theo Epstein. I'd say that helps matters for him, and while Maddon is a good manager, imagine having brain trusts like those helping make your job easier. Jerry hires his kids. Bulls, White Sox, doesn't matter. You've played for one of his teams? Great. You're hired. Is there anyone who actually disagrees with this? Anyone actually confident in the stewardship of the organization by these two individuals, particularly the owner? Anyone? And if so, why?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 14, 2015 -> 02:59 PM) So essentially the same group that most thought had assembled a borderline playoff team six months ago, now is incapable of doing anything right. Seems about right. No, nice try, but as always with you, no. What we "essentially" have here is the "same group" who have only managed to assemble a "playoff team" in two of the thirteen years they've been at this thing, and not one "playoff team" for seven years in a row now. It's that deplorable record of achievement, or lack thereof, that has most of us concluding they are "incapable of doing anything right".

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2015 -> 03:52 PM) Sure, load up the bandwagon. By all means! You don't think everyone of those ballparks currently "active" with postseason play have their fair share of bandwagon fans? Goes with the territory, so bring it on!!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) Our highest ranking, besides affordability... My favorite part of the article was where it said "Of course, the best way to fix a drop in fan support is to reel off a string of playoff appearances". I mean, who woulda thunk it!!

The booth configuration gets a little confusing if AJ is brought into the mix, and Stone stays on. I can't imagine a scenario where AJ Pierzynski is a broadcaster for the Sox but NOT broadcasting with Hawk, after all of the "AJ is like a son to me!" stuff Hawk's been talking about all of these years. I also can't imagine Stone moving into a part time role where he only does home games so AJ could go on the road and be with Hawk. Would it be a three man booth on the road? And at home, is Stone the guy you want doing PBP for 81 games? He's not bad as a PBP, IMO, and maybe he'd help make AJ a top notch analyst, but after being an analyst his entire broadcast life, does Stoney want the PBP job at this point? Maybe - who knows. It'll be very interesting to see how it all works out, that's for sure!

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2015 -> 12:55 PM) Fan complaints, I am sure. Well, it certainly doesn't seem to be weighted towards actual team results. Our "ownership" doesn't have a whole heckuva lot to point to in that regard.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 13, 2015 -> 12:04 PM) The irony is that ownership is one of their highest rated categories. Irony, indeed! Makes you wonder what criteria they use to render such a conclusion.

QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Oct 12, 2015 -> 03:50 PM) I agree that patching a bad team with high priced veterans doesn't always pay off. Sometimes it does, but you can't just look at all of this stuff in a vacuum. If the Sox mostly stand pat, I don't think Zobrist makes much sense. But look, the Sox have one of the best pitchers in baseball on their roster, and decent offensive core. They have the makings of a solid team, if smart moves are made to supplement the roster. You have to stop wasting Chris Sale's prime years...if you throw a bunch of kids out there, you need to trade Sale, and the Sox will never get even money for Sale, so they shouldn't and won't trade him. That is pretty much exactly why I think the Sox will continue to try to supplement their roster rather than tearing it up and trading their best assets. You can pretty much apply this same line of though to Quintana, but obviously down a tier. In that case, a guy like Zobrist makes a ton of sense if you can find other places to improve this teams line up and defense, which I am confident Rick Hahn will leave no stone unturned in his search. Sorry, but you really can't make that statement as of today. Maybe after a series of shrewd offseason moves, perhaps, but not now. If you'll recall, we just finished third to last in the league, thanks to the miserably worst offense and almost as equally abysmal defense. There is nothing "solid" at all there at the moment, save Sale, Abreu, Q, Eaton, and Robertson. Fairly steep drop off after those fellas.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 11, 2015 -> 02:54 PM) I love how you love to start trouble with moaning. You obviously failed to mention you actually read the article which would make the title all wrong. The quotes were from players who thought the roster was good enough, not one quote from management. But if you can get this out there to moan, more power to you. Why don't you read the article and tell us why we should believe they will not make significant changes, I guess it wouldn't fall in line with your constant complaining. Moaning about everything, to borrow one on your lines, that's how Lip rolls. You ought to do us all a favor and take your own advice and go cheer for another team - a successful one, one that wins enough games to make it into the postseason more than once a decade. That way you'd be able to frequent a fan message board that has the privilege of spending their time talking about and enjoying the success of their team vs. always having to express their frustration over continued failure. Free yourself of all of this "moaning" and "complaining" about the Sox organization's ongoing ineptitude. You'd probably be much happier if you did.

In 1991, when the Sox first rolled out this current version of the uniform (and a classic one at that!), there were no names on the home unis. And I kind of liked that, because there was then something more imposing about just having the number "35" on the back of Big Hurt's uni, or of course good, 'ol #72 on the back of the Commander's. I think it's kind of interesting and fun for the number itself to become identified with the player. And when they ended up putting the names on the backs, with Thomas, for example, when you'd then see the name "Thomas" on top of the 35, it was like, "Duh - I knew that!". So I'd be a fan of the names on the home unis going away, but that's just me! : )

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ Oct 6, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) I'm with you on this. JR bought himself a lot of time with 2005 but that time has long since past no matter how much they try to remind us of it. It is appalling that in a sports-crazy town like Chicago where there's constant talk of how we could probably support a second NFL team that a historic franchise like the Sox have been run down to, as you so perfectly put it, Cleveland-like levels. I mean FFS even perennial bottom-dwellers KC have turned their team around as we simply sink further and further into their former role in the central. I personally don't care for the Ricketts but damn they did what it took to turn the Cubs around, spent the money, got the talent but most importantly got the MANAGEMENT. Theo Epstein? Joe Maddon? How COULD that fail? And we don't even need to talk about Rocky Wirtz and his immediate impact, save to say that again, he immediately brought in new MANAGEMENT: Coach Q and Tim McDonough (Bowman was already there in a different capacity). I think the reality is that JR is basically the McCaskeys of MLB. Another historic franchise for which you have to go even further back for the last moment of glory. The only difference being that the Bears still have a huge audience and sell out. I really thought the Hawks becoming a dynasty and how they run things would shake JR (or even the McCaskeys) into some sort of action if only for pride--but nothing of any appreciable scale. I think the reality is that the Sox are simply a vanity exercise for JR at this point. A hobby which amazingly still makes him a profit. Well, this is one of so many reasons why this franchise is in so desperate need of new ownership. A new owner, at least for a while, would not operate under some misguided "loyalty reward" program but would rather, presumably, try to assemble the best available talent at the management level, very similar to what Ricketts did up on the north side. New fresh blood, exciting new ideas coursing throughout the White Sox organization, starting at the top and working it's way down. Now doesn't that have a nice ring to it!