Lip Man 1

With DVS of the Sun-Times: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/9/9/23865988/tough-job-times-two-ahead-for-white-sox-getz-grifol Reinsdorf said the Sox’ core is good enough to make rebuilding unnecessary. A naysayer would say the core is at the heart of one of the worst teams in club history. And Getz is observant enough to know trading from the core might be the thing to do. “I think so,” he said. “We’re a team that needs to get more athletic.” Reading between the lines, that might speak to trading Eloy Jimenez, an offensive threat who isn’t running well and is currently restricted to designated-hitter duty. “I spoke about the defense, we’ve seen some of the baserunning that’s been frustrating, whether that’s related to effort or the ability to actually take the extra base, all things that are being evaluated and most likely need to be adjusted,” Getz said. “With regard to the makeup of the roster, it would be shortsighted not to at least exhaust or at least entertain some ways to improve the team. When you’re a sub-60-win team, which we are at this point, I certainly need to find ways to improve this for 2024. And if that means we need to acquire some players by moving some of the players who are on this roster, I’m willing to do that.”

September 9, 1917 - It’s the only time the Sox have ever won a forfeited game. In Chicago against Cleveland, the Indians were protesting a close interference call that went against them in the top of the 10th inning of a tie game at 3-3. The game was delayed for 10 minutes while they argued. When they took the field in the last of the inning, Cleveland players threw their gloves in the air, some rolled around in the dirt and catcher Steve O’Neill deliberately threw a ball into center field. Umpire Clarence “Brick” Owens had enough and declared the game won by the Sox. September 9, 1921 - At Comiskey Park, the White Sox and Tigers played one of the wildest games in Major League history in Chicago’s 20-15 win. Both teams combined for 35 runs, 42 hits and seven errors! The White Sox were led by first baseman Earl Sheely, who went 5 for 5 with five runs scored, five RBIs and fell a double short of a cycle. (Sheely’s was the only homer for the 35-run game.) Johnny Mostil chipped in with four RBI’s. Perhaps most amazing is the fact that the 35 runs were all scored in the first seven innings of the game; the full eighth inning and top of the ninth all were scoreless. September 9, 1931 – This afternoon at the cross-city exhibition game between the Cubs and White Sox at Comiskey Park a famous, or ‘infamous’ fan and his son sat along the White Sox side of the field in the front row. The fan was Al Capone, the head of the largest crime syndicate in Chicago known as the “Chicago Outfit.” He took in the game with his son and a number of bodyguards who were seated directly behind them. They were part of a crowd of almost 35 thousand. The game was to benefit an unemployment relief fund established by Illinois governor Louis L. Emmerson as the Depression strengthened its grip on the country. Less than a month later Capone would go to trial on income tax evasion charges, be found guilty, and sent to prison. Their is a famous photograph of the Cubs, "Gabby" Hartnett signing a ball for Capone's son as he and his bodyguards looked on from their front row seats. September 9, 1983 - The Sox express roared on crushing former Sox great Tommy John and the Angels 11-0. What was significant in this one was, for the first time in team history, the Sox hammered back-to-back-to-back home runs. They were courtesy of Carlton Fisk, Tom Paciorek, and Greg Luzinski in the first inning. Not to be outdone, pitcher Britt Burns threw a one-hitter. Outfielder Mike Brown’s two out single in the seventh inning was his only mistake. Burns struck out nine in the game. September 9, 2003 - With one move Sox manager Jerry Manuel perhaps cost his team a post season playoff berth and eventually led himself to be fired. In a game the Sox were leading Minnesota 8-2 in the ninth inning, Manuel brought in relief pitcher Jose Paniagua to get some work in. The Sox had a one game lead over the Twins and this was the second of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Paniagua allowed four runs giving Minnesota momentum even though they’d lose 8-6. The Twins promptly won the final two games, swept the Sox the following week in Minnesota and won the second of three consecutive divisional titles. Paniagua, as he was leaving the field, made an obscene gesture at home plate umpire Mark Carlson and was released by G.M. Kenny Williams the next day. Manuel’s dismissal would come a few weeks later. There has always been debate over the impact of this incident in the divisional race but Twins players have been quoted as saying it was a difference maker. September 9, 2017 – White Sox slugger Jose Abreu became only the sixth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in the Sox 13-1 rout of the Giants. Jose had a home run, double, single and triple in order, to get the rare occurrence. For the night he went 4 for 5 with three runs scored and three RBI’s.

From my interview with Brooks: ML: One of the first campaign’s you unveiled was the very successful “Us vs. Them” one. Take me through the process of how an ad campaign for the Sox is born. BB: “We wanted to be more aggressive in our marketing. That’s my style. I’d rather make errors of commission then of omission. I knew we were, say the Pepsi to Coke in Chicago, the Avis to Hertz. I felt the White Sox and their fans had nothing to be ashamed of and I wanted to emphasize the things that made White Sox fans unique and proud.” “Today we are still fighting the stereotypes that have surrounded the organization…oh the neighborhood’s not safe, the ballpark is sterile…the best way to fight that is to attack and that resonates with our fans. Also remember I started my career here the same time Ozzie Guillen did. How can you not get caught up in his passion, his love for the White Sox?” ML: Talk to me specifically about “Us vs. Them.” What were you trying to achieve? As mentioned, Sox fans loved it, Cub fans and some of the media hated it. BB: “It’s about us, about White Sox fans, about ‘Sox Pride.’ I didn’t want fans wondering or worrying about who ‘we’ were. We wanted our fans to know that we knew who we were. We had a lot of fun with it and it helped break down those stereotypes we talked about earlier. Fans took pride in it, they came out to the ballpark, they saw it was a beautiful place to watch a game from.”

You know the season has gone completely off the rails and interest has dropped to near zero when pizza and beef sandwiches are dominating game threads.

Brother Rice grad myself, class of 1973.

Don't forget right field, possibly a shortstop if Anderson is traded, a back up catcher and a decent bench.

Which reinforces my point. The Dodgers know what they are doing at all levels...player development, medical, training and conditioning, free agent signings, drafting. If he didn't feel right which is certainly possible they immediately shut him down. Now compare that to the way the Sox are handling Crochet for example.

The Dodgers know what they are doing at all levels unlike the White Sox.

I agree but I'd also say some of these events were in his control too.

That team won 94 games and shocked the baseball world. They didn't underperform at all.

Very true.

September 8, 1962 - Sox pitcher and future Hall of Famer Early Wynn won his 299th career game beating Washington 6-3. Wynn would throw a complete game scattering nine hits with three strikeouts. He would get a spring training invite for 1963 but was cut. Fortunately, the Indians, the team Wynn pitched for earlier in his career, picked him up and he got the coveted 300th win on July 13 when he beat Kansas City 7-4 on the road. It was his last win in the Major Leagues. September 8, 2022 - Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada did something that had never been done before in the American League as part of a 14-2 rout by the club over the A’s in Oakland. Moncada went 5 for 5 with five RBI’s for the second time in the season which had never happened in the league since RBI’s became an official statistic in 1920. He had two home runs and a double among his hits and finished the game with 12 total bases. He did it the first time on June 15 against the Tigers when he went 5 for 6 with five RBI’s. Also happening in the game were back-to-back home runs leading the game off by the White Sox. Elvis Andrus and Moncada both went deep off of J.P. Sears to start the rout.

Garfien and McGuffey briefly mentioned this on their podcast today, said it wasn't a good look for the Sox.

DVS of the Sun-Times has the story. Liam says he went to see JR: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/9/7/23862345/liam-hendriks-making-pitch-to-stay-with-white-sox

September 7, 1954 - One of the lynchpins of the famed Sox pitching staff of the late 1950's, Dick Donovan was acquired from Atlanta in the minor leagues. Dick would win 73 games in six seasons on the South Side including a pair of one-hitters and be named to the All-Star team in 1955. September 7, 1960 - In a game at Comiskey Park infielder Sammy Esposito booted a cinch double play ball hit by future Sox infielder Bill “Moose” Skowron, with the Sox leading in the eighth inning, 4-2. That lead quickly evaporated as the Yankees rallied for four runs and a 6-4 win. Willie Harris and his friend, Jesse James (I swear I'm not making the names up) had a wager on the game. When Esposito blew the ground ball Harris took matters into his own hands. He jumped over the box seat railing, ran on to the field, had words with the player then the two started throwing punches. It took several uniformed police officers and ushers to pull Harris off of Esposito. Harris left the field shouting that he was “A real Sox fan.” September 7, 1970 - The White Sox were swept by the A’s in a Monday doubleheader at Comiskey Park, in front of 6,115 fans. As the losses dropped Chicago to 49-92 on the season, the sweep was not remarkable. But what was? With September’s expanded rosters, the Pale Hose used 13 players and five pitchers in the 7-4 opening loss, and 16 players and seven pitchers in the 7-5 nightcap loss. The 41 total players in a doubleheader set a Major League record for the time (it has since been broken.)

From DVS story tonight in the Sun-Times. Have the Sox seen enough of his struggles? Sox probable starters for the weekend series in Detroit list Saturday as TBD in Michael Kopech’s turn. Kopech (5.31 ERA) has walked 31 batters and allowed 24 earned runs in his last 28 1⁄3 innings over seven starts. He was pulled from his start Sunday after recording just five outs and walking five batters. “We’re still in the process of communicating, not with Kopech, but as an organization, to see what we’re going to do,” Grifol said. “Why? That’s going to stay internal.” Story also said Crochet started another rehab assignment in Birmingham.

Bummer is awful and has been for a few years. "Bad luck" my ass.

Cubs at one point were nine games under and dead last in the division, then they played 10 consecutive games against the Cardinals and White Sox...then they had another stretch of 12 straight against the Sox, Royals, Tigers and Pirates.

I never understood that attitude (we're Chicago's American League team) either given the fact that both JR and EE spent a number of years in Chicago first off at Northwestern Law school (Einhorn was actually a vendor at Comiskey Park in the 1950's). They HAD to know that Sox fans were never going to root for the Cubs and Cub fans weren't going to root for the Sox. If you wanted to take control of the market you had to be aggressive.

That's what happens when you have an organization that knows what the hell they are doing.

Never underestimate the deniability of this organization.

From as far back as when they bought the team in 1981, the philosophy towards the Cubs was best expressed by Eddie Einhorn, "We're Chicago's American League team..." They never grasped the fact that the Cubs are their competition. They've always had the mindset 'we only care how we are doing.' Very big mistake. The only time someone in the organization took on the Cubs was Brooks Boyer's brilliant ad campaigns "Us vs. Them" and when someone put up the billboard across the street from Wrigley Field that said, "Real baseball played 8.1 miles south..."

Make sure you let the Sox, or Brooks Boyer, know exactly WHY you are cancelling.

https://soxmachine.com/2023/09/as-white-sox-get-worse-so-does-chris-getz-introduction/

September 6, 1903 - Guy “Doc” White of the White Sox hurled a one-hitter in beating Cleveland 1-0 in 10 innings in a game in Chicago. It would be the first of five one-hitters thrown by White between 1903 and 1908. White never threw a no-hitter by the way. Cleveland’s only hit was by third baseman Bill Bradley. It was a double. He also threw one-hitters against the Browns in 1904, the Athletics and Browns in 1906 and the Senators in 1908. In addition to being a great pitcher White was also a dentist, graduating from Georgetown University and an evangelist. And in what had to have been a baseball rarity then and certainly now, while being an active player in 1902 with the Philadelphia Phillies and in 1903 with the White Sox, White actually umpired Major League games! September 6, 1905 - Sox pitcher Frank Smith tossed a no-hitter against Detroit, in Detroit. The Sox won easily 15-0 and swept the twin bill; both by shutouts. In the game he allowed three walks. Smith would throw a second no-hitter in 1908 and also had three one-hitters between 1905 and 1910. The 15-run no-hitter held the record for the most lopsided no-hitter in the modern era until it was broken in 2016. September 6, 1971 - Sox pitcher Steve Kealey belted a three run eighth inning home run at Comiskey Park off the Twins Ray Corbin in the first of a twin bill. It helped the Sox to a 6-3 win. It would be the last time a Sox pitcher homered in a game at home. Kealey also picked up the save in the same game throwing almost three innings. The Sox would split the day’s contests. September 6, 1981 – It was the beginning of the end for broadcaster Jimmy Piersall in connection with the Sox. Piersall and Harry Caray appeared on the “Mike Royko show” on WLS-TV. Royko asked the duo how they handle baseball wives who disliked the comments they made about their husbands. Caray said, “You know what Mike. I would love to call all the wives together someday and tell them what their husbands say about them across the ballfield.” Piersall’s answer was more controversial to say the least. “First of all, they were horny broads that wanted to get married, and they wanted a little money, a little security and a big strong ballplayer. I traveled, I played. I got a load of those broads too.” September 6, 1999 - In a double header at Texas, manager Jerry Manuel and star DH Frank Thomas got into an argument after Thomas refused to pinch hit in the second game. Manuel was livid and sent Thomas back to Chicago. Thomas had pinch hit in the first game and struck out. It was discovered after examination by team doctors that Thomas saying he was hurt rang true. They found a bone spur the size of a walnut on the outside of his ankle which required surgery and ended his season. September 6, 2008 – The White Sox and Angels battled at U.S. Cellular Field for almost four hours in the middle of a pennant race and played 15 innings to boot. That’s when Jim Thome blasted a monstrous home run deep into the right field bleachers to end the game with a 7-6 White Sox win. The contest set the record for the longest game innings-wise ever played in September by two teams; both in first place at the time. The home run was Thome’s 30th on the season.