Lip Man 1

Here you go from my interview with Jimmy: ML: Sox ownership decided to go with the SportsVision experiment in 1982 and you were removed from the play by play booth while Harry left to go to the Cubs. You wound up doing the pre and post-game shows. The Sox started out like gang-busters but by July were a .500 club, then one night Tony LaRussa apparently had it with some of your comments and drove down to the studios after a game and confronted you. I have never heard of such a thing happening before or since at least until the Steve Stone / Cubs controversy. What happened that night? JP: “I had said during a show that whoever was coaching the outfielders wasn’t doing a very good job. They were out of position; they were throwing to the wrong base. It was a bad situation. So one night about 11 or 11:30 at night, LaRussa, Charlie Lau and Jimmy Leyland drive down to the studios. They told the guard they had an appointment to see me and he let them in. I’m in the studio and they march in. LaRussa’s yells, “Are you trying to get Leyland fired?” I didn’t know who was coaching the outfielders so I said “no, but whoever he is he’s doing a lousy job.” They started to act tough when one of our producers walked in, he was a real big guy, about 6-4 and when they saw him they left. I tore Tony’s ass from then on. LaRussa acts real tough but he isn’t and Leyland is nothing but a little phony.” “All I can say is that Tony’s real lucky he’s had great players in Oakland and in St. Louis because he is a terrible manager.”

But coach is saying they have to keep working with him: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2024/09/03/sisson-white-sox-not-giving-up-on-lenyn-sosa

Because JR has made it clear as recently as last August at his press conference where he said the Sox won't be giving out long term deals to pitchers. Without one if they don't deal Crochet he leaves as a free agent in two years.

"Insular, sad sack franchises – the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies, to name four – belong in a separate category. Those teams barely even bothered to try."--Ken Rosenthal "It’s hard to do what they’re doing. Correct that. What they’re doing was once thought to be impossible. A lot went into this utter ineptitude. Bad trades, bad drafts, bad managing, bad payroll, bad ownership. Where is chairman Jerry Reinsdorf? What possible excuse can there be for this? How does it feel to have gotten so many people stained with mud? But this failure should be honored as a symbol of badness, of what can happen when nobody at the top gives a damn. Or, maybe worse, when they do care but are too dumb or arrogant to know they haven’t a clue." -- Rick Telander

Submitted for discussion (and the above posters make some valid points): This was told to me for my November 2022 story, I have no idea if he is still employed by the Sox but just the fact that he was hired and given a position of responsibility says a lot doesn't it? “You know about Mike Reinold right? (Author’s Note: Reinold is the White Sox Senior Medical Advisor) He was fired by the Red Sox because he was injecting players with Toradol.” (Author’s Note: Bleacher Report had a story on this situation published in February 2013. Here is the link to that story: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1530943-ex-red-sox-trainer-mike-reinold-injected-players-with-controversial-substance)

I doubt JR would be embarrassed at all again for the principle reason that he's making $$$$$. He has shown over the years he doesn't let what the media think or what the fan base think or what agents think impact or affect him in any way. When you are a billionaire you can be that way.

4-41 is correct.

Valid point but unlike in days of yore attendance doesn't drive the bus anymore AND keep in mind it actually benefits JR NOT to have fans show up! Remember his deal with the state specifically says if the Sox draw less than a certain amount he doesn't have to pay the state money AND they actually have to pay him a certain amount making up the difference until the threshold is reached. Just an unbelievable deal benefiting him.

No he wouldn't, he's still making money remember.

According to DVS of the Sun-Times, Flexen going 20 straight starts without his team winning is also a Major League record.

And with that Flexen has now set the team record, 20 straight starts without the White Sox winning a game breaking the record of 19 in a row set by Danny Wright.

Actually around the mid-80's after the Sox won the division in 1983 JR was quoted as saying along the lines (paraphrasing) 'I never knew winning would be so expensive...' because after they won players expected raises and renegotiated contracts. That was part of the reason it's been believed he and Bud Selig came up with the collusion tactics of the mid-80's according to former Commissioner Fay Vincent. Those tactics cost MLB millions after it was ruled by an arbitrator three different times that this policy violated terms of the CBA.

At the winter meetings before the 1971 season started Hemond acquired players like second baseman Mike Andrews, shortstop Luis Alvarado, catcher Tom Egan, outfielders Pat Kelly, Jay Johnstone, Ed Stroud and Rick Reichardt and pitchers Tom Bradley and Vicente Romo. Then at the winter meetings before the 1972 season he acquired first baseman Dick Allen and pitcher Stan Bahnsen. Manager Chuck Tanner then took north on the big league roster young pitchers Terry Forster and Rick "Goose" Gossage to go along with another young flame thrower in Bart Johnson. He already had quality players on the roster like Carlos May, Ed Herrmann and Wilbur Wood.

Nice story in Sox Machine looking over both situations: https://soxmachine.com/2024/09/the-1970-white-sox-were-already-getting-better-as-they-bottomed-out/

Flexen going for the club record 20 straight starts without his team winning. It would break the tie he has with Danny Wright.

Thorpe said it showed up on the original MRI so the Sox knew about it, but based on his comments a week or so ago to the media, where he said things were progressing and the strain seemed to be on the mend, tells me that he was indeed throwing with the spur being known. Why all of a sudden now it was decided to shave it down (which by the way doesn't guarantee the issue won't return) I have no idea.

"Luck is the residue of design" --- Branch Rickey

His executor will be his family probably his son who is running the Bulls.

In another two-three years there could be new ownership on board. In that case anything can happen.

The medical, training and conditioning staffs are just as incompetent, dysfunctional and inept as the other departments.

All you can do as a fan is hope to be around for new ownership.

No sir, I've contributed to books on the Sox but have never written one myself.

Brett Ballantini of South Side Sox just sent me this factoid: "I counted up all the 10+ losing streaks ever, I think the total count in MLB history is 102. 98 seasons didn’t even have three 10+ streaks across THE ENTIRE LEAGUE. Only one other team, ever, had done what the White Sox did today, the 1962 Mets, with three 10-game+ losing streaks."

That's a fair point in my opinion.

It is written into his contract that he has complete control over the franchise. For example if all the minority owners wanted to sell and JR said "no" (and he has at least twice) there is no sale. This is what I was told by sources for a story I did in November 2022: “In October 2005 some investors asked JR to sell and get out while the going was good, but he wouldn’t.” “Andrew Berlin, twice tried to buy the Sox around 2008 but wasn’t successful.” (Author’s Note: Berlin, grew up a Sox fan and is now the owner of the Cubs farm team in South Bend, Indiana.) “I heard that JR owns 12% of the team but with some of the original investors passing away that has probably gone up to 18%” (Author’s Note: Even though he only owns a small percentage of the franchise Jerry Reinsdorf has absolute authority to run the team as he sees fit. It is written into his contract. That includes selling or not selling the club despite what the other investors wish. The only way he can be removed from his position is if he has done something illegal, appears to be losing his mental faculties or is being financially irresponsible.)