Lip Man 1

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2024/08/31/white-sox-record-tying-106th-loss-marks-grim-first-anniversary-of-jerry-reinsdorf-hiring-chris-getz-as-gm "One year after Reinsdorf promoted Getz and said he didn’t want any remodel to be a “long-term proposition,” the rebuilding Sox tied the 1970 team’s franchise record for defeats in a season with a 5-3 loss to the Mets." 😆

You never know...new ownership could arrive before then.

To answer your question as to why Chet was traded. He talked about it with me: ML: You hit .302 in the strike shortened season and played your usual solid defense but on November 27, 1981 you were shipped to Detroit for Steve Kemp. The reasoning as I remember it was that the Sox wanted more balance in the lineup and Kemp was left handed. (Author’s Note: Harold Baines was basically the only power threat from the left side as opposed to having guys like Fisk, Luzinski and the newly acquired Tom Paciorek who were all right handed hitters.) Were you ever told by the Sox why they let you go? CL: "That may have been part of it but there was another reason." "In spring training 1981 I had verbally agreed to a five year contract that would have made me the highest paid player on the team. It was a great negotiation. Eddie Einhorn, Jerry Reinsdorf, Roland Hemond, my agent and I all sat around a table one day and worked everything out including some deferred compensation. For some reason I hadn’t gotten around to actually signing the document though. A few weeks later they signed Carlton Fisk and his numbers came out. When I saw those I told my agent “hmmmm maybe we need to renegotiate.” Everything that I did in five years, I did in Chicago and now I wasn’t going to be the highest paid player anymore? I know it was childish on my part but that’s the way I felt at the time." "It created some problems. After a period of time I said that I’d just play my next year out (1982) and then see what happens in that off season. I guess the Sox thought that I was automatically going to go the free agent route and that wasn’t necessarily the case. However I did know that other clubs were interested, I knew that Earl Weaver of the Orioles wanted me badly and that the Sox were close to trading me to them at one time." "It was weird how some things happened. I mean "Bull" Luzinski, whom I respected, and thought did a great job for us by supplying power, came out and said something like ‘if he’s not going to sign then we need to get somebody for him.’ After the trade I did play out my option but Detroit re-signed me to a 10 year deal which gave me security. I had some no trade clauses in it so I had some control if I was going to be uprooted again."

Depends on how you look at it, there have been other terrible franchises recently aka Kansas City, for years Tampa Bay immediately come to mind. I never heard or read anyone crying about how their ineptitude was impacting other teams financially. MLB is now a 10 billion dollar a year business, that from Manfred himself. I think the sport will survive with the Sox being atrocious and embarrassing. (I wish they were a top flight operation myself though...)

It still does matter but significantly not as much. This isn't 1959, 1964 or 1977 anymore. Attendance doesn't drive the car anymore, it is the TV deals and the domestic and international revenue streams.

From my sources for a story I did in November 2022: “The White Sox playing shorthanded started in 2007 when Jermaine Dye got hurt and Kenny Williams refused to call up Brian Anderson or Ryan Sweeney. Maybe they were cheap, maybe they wanted to protect Herm’s record of keeping guys off the DL.” (Author’s Note: Herm Schneider was the Sox longtime head trainer and for years the Sox were among the league leaders in keeping players healthy.) “Jake Peavy made the comment one time, ‘They have no reservations about playing shorthanded.”

Multiple stories have already come out saying next year's payroll will be around 100 million and no meaningful free agent activity will take place. From my sources for a story I did in November 2022: “People, his friends… have tried to tell him what has been going on, “Hawk” Harrelson, the late Ed Farmer… God rest his soul, Darrin Jackson, Scott Reifert (Author’s Note: Scott is the Senior Vice-President for Communications) , Bob Grim and others but it’s just not registering for some reason.” “JR has become oblivious to things and what he’s allowed to happen is sad. He’s probably the most successful owner in Chicago sports history given the Bulls titles and the White Sox one which is dear to his heart, but what has happened the last two years is just sad. He is out-of-touch. And even worse he’s inaccessible. He’s either afraid of having to answer questions or he’s incapable of doing so.”

JR's arrogance doesn't allow him to apologize. In fact I can only recall him doing it one time, that was before Game #2 of the 1993 ALCS when he apologized to the team because of the Michael Jordan retirement situation which took away from Game #1.

I find this hard to believe but numbers are numbers: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2024/08/30/gavin-sheets-not-letting-sox-season-drag-him-down In 18 games since Aug. 7, he was hitting .385 (25-for-65) with five doubles and a home run for a .902 OPS. Only the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (.397) and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (.397) had higher batting averages in that span.

I think I saw recently where they were like 26th or 27th in MLB. Averaging about four thousand less than last season. JR won't have to worry again about having to pay the state money based on the lack of attendance! 😆 (You talk about an incentive NOT to win. How in the world the stadium authority agreed to that clause is beyond me...)

From my interview with Chet: ML: One of the problems I guess you could call it for big leaguers is that they make everything look so easy but that had to be a tremendous change for you going from the infield to center field. Describe to me some of the drills and work that you had to do to be able to pull this off. CL: "It was a challenge and it took a lot of work but I wanted it. I used to say there are no bad hops in the sky. I’d say to myself that no matter where the ball was hit I was going to beat the ball to the spot. I became a student of the game, that’s where a lot of the work was done. After a few years I knew all the pitchers and how they were going to throw to hitters. I knew the signs, I knew where the ball was going to go if a right handed pull hitter was up and one of our pitchers threw him a breaking ball for example." "It got to the point where for me; it was a lot of fun to rob guys of hits. Bobby Bonds said to me one time that I was one of the best young outfielders he had ever seen. This was a guy who played with Willie Mays, and for him to say that to me...boy that was special. Cal Ripken Senior also told me that I was one of the toughest outfielders to go from first to third on. That was because I was always very aggressive charging balls." ML: With the thousands of games that you played Chet I don’t know if you’ll remember this one play, but if so, I’d like to know what you can tell me. It was on July 3, 1977. The Twins were in town and the Sox beat them the first three games to take over first place. I was in the stands that day and in the second game of that double header one of the Twins hit a drive into the gap in left center with a man on base. You sprinted backwards and to your right and at the last second stretched out your left arm making a shoe top backhanded catch before crashing face first into the wall. Do you remember that play? CL: "Oh yea! One time I was invited to appear on that kids TV show they used to have “The Baseball Bunch,” hosted by Johnny Bench. What they do before you come on is show a minute or so of highlights from what you’ve done and that play was on there. I remember it! Anytime you start hitting the warning track you know you’re only a step or two away from the wall. " "That was one of the things about playing center field in Comiskey Park when I was there. They had such a big center field and you had a lot of room to roam. (Author’s Note: In most of the years Lemon was with the Sox there was no center field fence. The barrier was the base of the original grandstand where the scoreboard was located... 445 feet away!) It was terrifying. You could never take a pitch off. You always had to be on your P’s and Q’s. I was always fearful that if I made a mistake or didn’t get to a ball, you could play it into a double or triple or if it went over your head in center, an inside the park home run." "I remember another catch that I made and boy I wish I had the video of it. We were at home and a guy hit a ball over George Orta’s head at second, so it was in right center field. I went after it and said ‘I got it.’ Richie (Zisk) started over and said ‘you take it.’ The problem was the ball was curving away from me! I kept running and running and running and the ball kept curving. Richie had already backed off so it was up to me. Finally as I get to the right field foul line I dive and make the catch. I get up and start brushing all this chalk off me, meanwhile Richie is laughing and the fans are giving me a standing ovation."

On this entire homestand they have scored 18 runs...in eight games. A 10-game home stand one of the longest I can remember in years and they may actually lose every game on it. I wonder if that's ever happened before for the franchise?

Tonight was the 28th time they scored one run in a game to go along with being shut out 13 times. Wow!

If JR wants to pay for the stadium himself I have no objection at all. But he's already been gifted a stadium once along with a sweetheart lease agreement. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. If he wants a new stadium he can pay for it. Especially given how he's run the franchise and the return the fan base has gotten from it.

Why should he, JR is becoming a real embarrassment to all concerned.

Chet has had different and unusual health problems for a long time. Very sad as he was a great player and seems like a good person. Had a great interview with him in 2004.

Don't bet your life on this happening. From a story this afternoon in the Sun-Times: "While state lawmakers have all but rejected the possibility of dedicating any public money to a stadium — either for the Sox or the Bears, who want a new home of their own..." "But Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislative leaders have said there’s zero political will in Springfield to help Reinsdorf or the McCaskeys, who want $900 million from taxpayers for a new lakefront stadium. Both proposals are considered long shots to make any progress during the fall veto session." https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2024/08/30/the78-white-sox-stadium-related-midwest

Now the Bears are moving? 🤔 It's not like they are going to Springfield or Champaign. They may go to Arlington Heights, or Burbank or Oak Lawn or Wheeling or where ever in the suburbs...big deal. It's all the Chicago area

McCaskey spoke to the media and the stadium issue came up. The Sox may want to take note: There are other issues on the Bears’ agenda. McCaskey reiterated that the team is focused on building a new stadium downtown, just south of Soldier Field. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said it will be “near impossible” for the Bears to gain approval for a stadium during the General Assembly’s veto session in November. McCaskey said the Bears are aiming to get on the agenda, but admitted it will be a challenge. “We’re just trying to continue the discussions,” he said, “and trying to convince people that it will be great for the region, for the city and for the state.” The Bears have pledged to commit $2 billion towards the project. They might have a new way to access some of that money — in a special meeting this week, NFL owners voted to allow teams to sell up to 10% of their franchise to private equity firms, which would remain passive investors.

That actually is what happens in case of a catastrophic accident involving a MLB team, say a plane crash. In order to finish the season the organization would be allowed to select unprotected players to fill out a roster and continue to play. Does this season qualify under those terms?

Can the owner be put on waivers????????????

Good point since JR was publicly opposed to him getting the job.

Jankowski was put on waivers one day to late.

Over time the schedule has never been perfectly balanced so any argument a team from the East or West has is out the window. How many years was Tampa losing 100+ games a year and the Yankees/ Red Sox were taking advantage of that. Or when Houston was God-awful in the west? Manfred isn't going to do squat as long as everyone is making loads of money.

27th time the Sox scored one run in a game. That's seven straight losses, I think they have a third double-digit losing streak in them.