Lip Man 1

Well...at least we can't say the Sox haven't been swept. Just enjoy the dysfunction and laugh at the buffoons is about all you can do because big changes won't be happening until the trade deadline when Hahn starts selling off his precious rebuild.

April 23, 1919 - Perhaps the greatest White Sox team ever, in terms of talent, opened the season in St. Louis destroying the Browns 13-4. Claude ‘‘Lefty’’ Williams got the win throwing a complete game. This time however, six months later, after winning the American League pennant, the ‘‘Black Sox’’ reportedly threw the series and lost to the Cincinnati Reds. Eight players would be banned the following year, including Williams, and the only franchise capable of stopping the emerging New York Yankees juggernaut was decimated. April 23, 1949 - Sox left hander Billy Pierce won his first Major League game. Pierce came in to relieve starter Al Gettel, throwing almost four scoreless innings, and got the decision as the Sox won 12-5 against the Browns at Comiskey Park. Billy would win 186 games with the Sox, make the All-Star team seven times as their representative, throw four one-hitters and finish with 211 wins overall in his brilliant career. April 23, 1955 - The White Sox hammered the Athletics 29-6 at Kansas City. The 29 runs were an American League record that stood for years. The Sox collected 29 hits that afternoon as well with seven home runs. Every starter had at least one hit including pitcher Jack Harshman. Bob Nieman had seven RBI’s with Sherm Lollar and “Minnie” Minoso adding five each. Nieman went 3 for 4 with a pair of home runs. April 23, 1990 - It was an unusual event even though it happened in an exhibition game. Utility player Steve “Psycho” Lyons played all nine positions for the Sox during the annual “Crosstown Classic” game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Manager Jeff Torborg moved him all over the field during the contest won by the Sox 6-5. Outfielder Dave Gallagher threw out the potential tying run at home plate to end the game.

I sent the link to this story to a friend of mine who works in the front office. Good person. Part of my note was that I urged them to forward it on to the powers-that-be. That unless they turn things around or make drastic changes they are risking a great deal with this fan base.

That has been a constant theme under this ownership. "WE know what we are doing...how DARE you even question us!" The results say they don't.

The White Sox made it a double dumpster dive today. According to the MLB Trade Rumors site they signed pitcher Nash Walters to a minor league deal. He's made one major league appearance, with the Angels last season. He's recorded one out in his big league career. The jokes are now writing themselves.

The only possible hope the Sox have (and you are assuming the usual suspects don't get hurt again) is the fact they are in the worst division in baseball. Even so, no guarantees and if by some miracle they were to get in the playoffs the odds of them doing anything besides showing up are very, very, VERY small. I'd also say enjoy those returning guys while you can because there is still a very good chance Hahn has to deal three of them at the deadline and try to sell the fan base on how another rebuild is needed and hey this time it will work out! LOL.

He signed as a free agent.

Whether Charlotte is improved or not has little to do with the issues the Major league club is having. As myself and others have stated more trash, more wasted money, more giving reps to over the hill guys who have no value moving forward. Give those at bats to a kid in the system who actually may do something for you moving forward. But the Sox minor league system is so destitute they can't even do that.

Paul Sullivan then wrote a column using that quote and then mentioned that the Sox had only two winning seasons under Hahn in 10 years. He closed it with "Imagine that" ?

I've been told by others that Hahn and Merkin are close citing the Michigan ties and Hahn tells him stuff that he won't tell to others in the media.

He better be careful or his Michigan friend Hahn is going to stop talking to him! ?

No they do not. It is in JR's contract that he has the say to run the day to day operations of the team as he sees fit and that includes if he wishes to sell or not. The minority owners, the board of directors literally have ZERO say. That doesn't mean JR doesn't listen to them but he is under no obligation to do what they wish. Some of the minority owners were asking him to sell after 2005 but he refused. Andrew Berlin twice made offers in 2008 but was turned down.

The Sox players I spoke with didn't mind because the players got a share based on attendance. 92,000 in the stands meant a bigger payoff.

April 22, 1959 - In one of the most bizarre innings in baseball history, the Sox got 11 runs in the seventh inning as part of their 20-6 win at Kansas City. The uniqueness of it was that fact that those 11 runs scored on only one hit! It took 45 minutes to play the half inning. Johnny Callison got the only Sox hit in it. Here is the play by play from it: WHITE SOX 7TH: GORMAN REPLACED WARD (PITCHING); Ray Boone reached on an error by DeMaestri [Boone to first]; Al Smith reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt by Smith [Boone to second]; Johnny Callison singled to right [Boone scored (unearned) (error by Maris), Smith scored (unearned) (error by Maris), Callison to third]; Luis Aparicio walked; Aparicio stole second; Bob Shaw walked; EARL TORGESON BATTED FOR SAMMY ESPOSITO; FREEMAN REPLACED GORMAN (PITCHING); Torgeson walked (walk was charged to Gorman) [Callison scored, Aparicio to third, Shaw to second]; Nellie Fox walked [Aparicio scored, Shaw to third, Torgeson to second]; Jim Landis forced Shaw (pitcher to catcher) [Torgeson to third, Fox to second]; Sherm Lollar walked [Torgeson scored (unearned), Fox to third, Landis to second]; BRUNET REPLACED FREEMAN (PITCHING); Boone walked [Fox scored (unearned), Landis to third, Lollar to second]; Smith walked [Landis scored (unearned), Lollar to third, Boone to second]; Callison was hit by a pitch [Lollar scored (unearned), Boone to third, Smith to second]; LOU SKIZAS RAN FOR CALLISON; Aparicio walked [Boone scored (unearned), Smith to third, Skizas to second]; Shaw struck out; “BUBBA” PHILLIPS BATTED FOR TORGESON; Phillips walked [Smith scored (unearned), Skizas to third, Aparicio to second]; Fox walked [Skizas scored (unearned), Aparicio to third, Phillips to second]; Landis grounded out (pitcher to first); 11 R, 1 H, 3 E, 3 LOB, 10 BB, 1 HBP The 11 runs in the seventh inning are the most the Sox have ever scored in that frame. April 22, 1972 - In the first game of a double header against the Royals, Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood reached on a fielder’s choice and scored the only run of the game thanks to an error, in the 1-0 win. Wood went the distance allowing seven hits in a game that took less than two hours at Comiskey Park. The Sox also won the second game 3-2 thanks to a home run from Carlos May in the eighth inning. April 22, 1991 - Frank Thomas hit the first White Sox home run in new Comiskey Park, a two-run blast in the fifth inning. The Sox won the first ever night game in the stadium beating Baltimore 8-7. The homer came off of Ben McDonald and scored Carlton Fisk who had doubled. April 22, 1998 - Ray Durham tied a Major League record by reaching base safely three times via error in a 14-7 win over a sloppy Cleveland club. The Indians would commit five errors in the game. The second baseman reached base six times in the game, getting three additional hits, as well as scoring four runs and knocking in two. Amazingly, Durham also advanced bases on the two other errors in the game, once advancing to third due to a wild throw on a steal of second base, and also getting all the way home when his triple forced another error. Four of the five errors were committed by future White Sox players Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Jim Thome (two). April 22, 2000 - The Sox and Tigers had an on-field brawl which reminded many longtime fans of the fights from the 1950's with the Yankees. This one lasted for almost 30 minutes and saw eight players from both sides get kicked out along with Sox manager Jerry Manuel. A record number of players would be fined and subsequently suspended, 16 total for various lengths. The brawl started after Detroit pitcher Jeff Weaver hit both Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee in the fourth and sixth innings. Sox pitcher Jim Parque then drilled the Tigers Dean Palmer leading off the seventh and the fight was on. One of the more lingering memories was Sox relief pitcher Keith Foulke suffering a gash on his face courtesy of a sucker punch from the side believed to have been thrown by either Karim Garcia or Bobby Higginson. He needed five stiches to close the wound. Tigers catcher Robert Fick was seen taunting White Sox fans in the bleacher seats in right field and got deluged with beer over it. The Sox won the game 14-6 and used it as a rallying point for the rest of the season as they went on to win 95 games in route to the Central Division championship.

Another example of spending money on flotsam and jetsam but when it comes to bringing in a real difference maker, a top of the line player...the Sox balk at doing that. And I know Piscotty is probably not getting a lot but my point is Hahn has wasted millions upon millions of dollars on stiffs, has been's, injury prone players and never was's but refuses to bring in top talent with Machado and Harper being two examples. Can't go there! LOL. Instead we keep trying to find lightening in a bottle and hope. Hope is not a winning strategy.

This story really expresses how I feel about things right now. Don't know who this person is but these feelings I can relate to: https://www.southsidesox.com/2023/4/22/23693637/chicago-white-sox-enuui

I'll have the details of that bizarre inning in my This Day In White Sox History thread for April 22.

With today's technology geography doesn't matter anymore.

Good for you, can't fault you for hoping it somehow turns around.

At least they'll end the suspense quickly unlike last year when you kept thinking "they're close to turning the corner..."

This is my 63rd season as a fan and Sox historian. I must confess and I never thought this would be possible, I used to live and die with every game, being in TV normally I didn't have to get to the office in the morning so I wouldn't go to bed until I knew the final score of every West Coast game...but this organization has so completely destroyed everything that I'm very close to saying the hell with them. If the owner doesn't care about anything but being "fiscally responsible" then why should I? Even now I'm basically just checking in every so often, reading the box scores, reading the wrap up's, another two weeks and I probably will be down to just looking for the final score.

Normally I'd be hoping this disaster of a team leads to massive changes in the front office but you and I know that even if they are say 25-45 around June 10 nothing will happen. Until the owner is removed from the scene and the entire baseball side of the front office is fired nothing will really take place, and even if Hahn would somehow be promoted... another inbred member of the organization would be put in charge and yet again...nothing would change. It's just an awful position that this incompetent, dysfunctional and inept ownership/organization has put the fans in. Just makes you sick.

It's my "prediction" which is part of the thread title.

Third game this year when they had a lead in the 7th inning or later and lost the game. Most expensive bullpen in baseball. ?

All that matters is did they win the game. They didn't. Case closed...coming back doesn't mean s%*#, it still is a loss. They'll be DOA by June 1.