Lip Man 1

QUOTE (greg775 @ Feb 7, 2017 -> 11:39 PM) I wonder what the worst record in franchise history is. I think we'll be right around the worst team in Sox history this year and next. Next year will probably be the low water mark of the rebuild. I'd say 59 wins? Then maybe 57 the following year? In 1970 the Sox went 56-106, most losses ever in a season and they drew 495,000 fans for it. Had three managers that season. Mark

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 31, 2017 -> 10:02 AM) Paul Goldschmidt couldn't turn the DBacks into contenders on his own. I think the setup with Moncada is this: if he were to bust or get injured, it is a 2 year setback in rebuilding at the very least. You name guys like Collins, Joel Booker - those are guys who are 2 or more years behind Moncada, who should be tearing up AAA this year and hopefully ready for a brief stint at the end of the season. The other guys will be in A-ball and AA, and if they're up in 2019 that means they were pushed rapidly through levels and you probably expect them to need more big league development time. Hopefully we'll add some more big league ready pieces when Quintana goes, but if Moncada does not become a top of the league player, we will be unlikely to have the ability to find equivalent talent out of our system any time soon. How will we come up with that? 2 ways - wait 2-3 years longer so that other draft picks can work their way through, or....move Rodon and start this again. I'd be very, very surprised if Rodon isn't moved in a few years. His agent is going to take him to free agency when the time comes and the Sox probably (unless their is new ownership in place) aren't going to be willing to meet the price he will be demanding. Mark

QUOTE (Con te Giolito @ Jan 30, 2017 -> 06:19 PM) There will be some benefits to having them gone, plus Robin. Now it wont make up for their on field production but in some ways the Sox will be better next year just because they got rid of those two. It's called "addition by subtraction" but in all fairness those are two very, very good players who were traded. Unfortunate situation brought on by the front office's inability to put a competitive team around them but under the circumstances they didn't have much of a choice, they had to do something to get out of the rut. Mark

Nice solid recap of the events and a good way to summarize the "plan" going forward. Mark

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ Jan 25, 2017 -> 06:48 PM) Uh, noooooooo. Not ready to "trust" the Sox' brain trust just yet. Don't forget, the reason for the need for this rebuild is the abject failure of the team at both the Major and minor league level the past eight years for which the current front office is responsible. "Trust" is the last thing they've earned. Now "guarded optimism", based on the encouraging early results of the rebuild, that feels the more appropriate approach to take with this front office. Reasonable comment and way to look at things in my opinion. Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 22, 2017 -> 10:16 AM) This is going to be a strange rebuild. I know this board has people who love prospects and the process of rebuilding, but the reality is that very few people care about stuff like that until the team actually starts winning. At major league prices I would imagine attendance will be at an all time low the next few seasons. The Sox have been among the bottom feeding teams in MLB attendance-wise for the past several years. This won't be an issue (especially not with the money pouring in to teams from various means). Seriously in my mind there is no difference between being 27th in the league in attendance or 29th. If you aren't in the top 10 or top 15 it really doesn't matter, your attendance simply is not good. But another point is if you think attendance would improve if the Sox trotted out the same philosophy and stunk up the joint by July again. And nothing, NOTHING will beat the Sox drawing 495,000 fans FOR THE SEASON in 1970 after three straight terrible years and the social unrest of the 1960's (which led to the belief that Comiskey Park was in a "dangerous place...") If the Sox could survive that, they can survive anything. And coincidentally what did they do as soon as that season ended? They traded their two best players and went into a rebuild mold. (Granted, Roland Hemond can and did run rings around Kenny and Rick as a G.M.) Mark

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Jan 21, 2017 -> 08:02 AM) They can call it a rebuild, I call it a train wreck. They have nobody in the farm system to help their every day lineup at 3B, Catcher, Dh, and all 3 outfield positions. This so called REBUILD has all the potential of lasting for many years. 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 were also train wrecks...seven out of the last 10 seasons have been train wrecks. They weren't going to spend 150 million to sign the "best" free agents in poor classes this year and next...not with this ownership. So what EXACTLY did you think they would do or could do? I'd like to hear your plan. And please don't start with the tired notion of "well JR can sell the team..." because in point of fact, (yet again) unless his health suddenly goes south HE IS NOT SELLING in the next few years. Like it or not, that's reality. This was the best option in a difficult situation (created a lot by the Sox themselves...granted.) Can we please move on from this...finally...please????????????????????????????????????????? Oh, here's a hint for you..."rebuilds" usually DO take years. Better get used to it. Mark

I asked Bill specifically about that game and he said he kept getting guys out, kept going back to the dugout where Al would ask him how he was feeling and if he was OK. Bill said he felt fine and thought he could keep getting guys out...and he did. Mark

QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 20, 2017 -> 11:07 AM) Two bad things about the 1959 White Sox: Billy Pierce had a down year by his standard. Minnie Minoso was on the Indians. Billy had a hip injury that season which forced him to miss about a month if I remember correctly. Mark

Paul Konerko was a very good player for a long time but in my opinion is simply not a Hall of Famer. I'd put Mark Buehrle in that same category. The former White Sox players who deserve to be in the Hall and aren't are: 1. Billy Pierce. A DOMINANT pitcher for over a decade and along with Whitey Ford and Warren Spann the best left handed pitchers in baseball in the 1950's. 2. Minnie Minoso. A great outfielder both offensively and defensively. The Jackie Robinson of Latin players who unlike Jackie, also had the language barrier to overcome. 3. Tommy John 4. Jim Kaat 5. Dick Allen The following are the stories that I wrote for the Chicago Baseball Museum going into the numbers and explaining why some of those I listed should be in: http://www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org/files...ce-20141121.pdf http://www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org/files...tt-20141203.pdf Mark

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 9, 2017 -> 09:13 AM) Funny enough while we had more dead last rankings we also had 3 top 5 finishes in the AL for runs scored. 2006, 2008, 2012. Three of the last four winning seasons for the franchise as well. 2010 being the lone exception. Mark

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 5, 2017 -> 06:13 PM) Jeesh, people are down on this guy. I hope scouts don't view the guy the way some folks tend to view him by just looking at his year-end WAR totals. The guy has shown the ability to absolutely mash for extended periods of time, including against elite pitching. The entirety of his body of work has basically included his experience of leaving Cuba and transitioning to life in the US, and to playing professional ball at the highest level. I tend to think he has handled things quite well, all things considered. Jose is absolutely the LAST guy on this team I have a desire to move, considering his skillset, his demeanor, the way he goes about his business, etc. He is a consummate professional and an outstanding role model for our young players, particularly our young spanish-speaking players. That being said, should the guy pick up where he left off in the second half last year, one would think he should absolutely bring back a few top prospects should bats be in demand come July. Jose has a lot of good things going for him. However he needs to be a fulltime DH (regardless of if he likes it or not) and stay off the field. Guy is an absolute butcher with a glove. However with the Sox rebuilding it doesn't really matter. If he is still around when the Sox become contenders, he needs to make that move. Mark

QUOTE (kwill @ Jan 5, 2017 -> 05:22 PM) I've seen rumors around every White Sox big name player except Jose Abreu. I know most on this forum believe the right approach would be to hold onto him until the All Star Break and swap him in another large trade for prospects. What do you believe his value is currently? Abreu's War has decreased all three years from 5.3 WAR-2014,3.0 WAR-2015, and 1.6-2016. Obviously, He had a terrible first half of the year but it did seem like he figured some things out in the later half. There is some good things too like his K% dropped last year by 3 points and his walk rate went up 1.6% from 2015. He is only 30 years old at the beginning of the season so one would think that he would have 4-5 above average years left in his bat. He is under team control for 3 year but still in arbitration so probably something like 3/38. It is interesting as you can compare like Edwin Encarcion get a 3/60 million dollar deal with the Indians at the age of 34. To be fair, Encarcion has been a 4 win player for 5 years in a row. One would think though that Abreu has close to the same value as a decrease in production should be expected for Encarcion. To go along with my question, Do you think if Abreu hit the free agent market this year he would have received a higher or lower offer than Encarcion? The second thought I had when reading the New CBA is it could be valuable to have Abreu around as a recruiting source for Cuban players. if I am reading correctly ( please correct if not), each ream will be allowed 5-6 million dollars and will be capped. If this is the case this will prevent teams like the Dodgers and Yankees from hoarding the best international players with money. It could be valuable to have both the best young player( Moncada) and another respected Cuban on the same team. http://www.sbnation.com/2016/12/1/13806488...ment-luxury-tax What would you expect in a trade back for Abreu if traded right now? Mine would be 1-top 50 prospect, 1-Top 150 prospect and 1 lottery ticket. I think there was reported interest from the Rockies at one time before they signed Desmond. Mark

As someone who is in the business and does play by play (and is also a White Sox fan / historian) I can certainly appreciate Hawk's passion and love for the team. However its clear at 75 he is no longer sharp, certainly not what he was even 10 years ago. That's not his fault, its the human condition. However Hawk's ego I think refuses to understand that time waits for no one. He needs to call it a well deserved day, appreciate what he's done for the franchise and step aside gracefully. Over and above the diminished skills, there's the long periods of silence when things are going bad (even though the game is still going on), the uneasy relationships with a number (not just Stone) of his broadcast partners over the years (let's not forget why Paciorek left), the haranguing of umpires (certainly deserved at times but very unprofessional. You can get the point across about bad calls, bad umpires without being petty and vindictive) Hawk can't or won't recognize these shortcoming. He won't even try to adjust and correct them. It comes down to ego and he's got a big one. And to be fair there are very few folks in the business who don't have some ego, that's one of the reasons they got into it in the first place. Bottom line though is that for good or bad, like him or not, as long as JR owns the team and as long as he wants to work, he'll have a job. I just hope that I've got the good sense to know when its my time, to face it honestly and admit I simply don't have it anymore on the level that I work. Mark

QUOTE (Wanne @ Dec 28, 2016 -> 10:37 AM) When I was a kid I was with my Dad at that double header where the Sox beat the Yankees the first game (can't remember the score). The second game Dick Allen hit a pinch-hit 3-run homer off Sparky Lyle in the bottom of the 9th inning (a frozen rope against the wind into the left field bleachers) and the Sox won 5-4 for the sweep. There's a great story behind it too about Chuck Tanner not being able to find Allen to pinch hit and he was in the clubhouse eating (I've heard tacos...but not sure). They sent the ball boy to find him. To this day it's one of the greatest sports moments I've seen live. Also saw him almost hit the scoreboard at old Comiskey...and for you older guys...you know how far that was. I spent so many fun days at old Comiskey. Allen is still my favorite player to this day... I co hosted in 2012 the 40th anniversary for that team put on by the Chicago Baseball Museum and the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Dick was there along with Bill Melton, Carlos May, Hank Allen, Bart Johnson, Ed Spiezio, Tom Bradley (who threw a complete game in the first game of the DH you talked about), "Goose" Gossage and Roland Hemond. It was a terrific time, gave a :25 minute speech outlining the season. Dick told me he wasn't eating a taco but a chili dog. When Tanner wanted him to pinch hit he ran back to the clubhouse, threw on a uniform (minus the long sleeved undershirt because he didn't have time) wolfed down his chili dog (getting it all over the uniform top) and got out on the field. He hit the third pitch from Lyle (a slider) into the seats for the win. I actually have that entire radio broadcast in my library (Yankees radio network) after the home run Phil Rizzutto couldn't believe it. The tone of his voice was like someone ran over his dog! Here is the link to my story on that weekend if you are interested: http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/rwas/in...y=2&id=4314 Good times...great season! I also have Harry's radio call of Dick's bleacher shot home run (was sitting near him that afternoon along with a young Richard Roeper) and the WFLD-TV video of Dick's two inside the park home runs in the same game at Minnesota that same season. Mark

QUOTE (buckweaver @ Dec 27, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) Is there a link to that, Mark? I'd love to watch it. I was a little kid...went with my brother and grandfather. I don't know if it is on-line somehow or not. I got it from a friend who originally got it from a member of the White Sox family. Video is very good considering it is over 40 years old. Mark

QUOTE (buckweaver @ Dec 27, 2016 -> 06:47 AM) Aug. 7, 1974 Down one in the bottom of the ninth, Dick Allen breaks up a Nolan Ryan no-hitter with an infield hit. That's followed by an error and a couple more singles. Sox end up winning 2-1, years before the term walk-off was ever coined. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CH...197408070.shtml I actually have the bottom of that 9th inning and Harry's postgame show in my library. It's the WSNS Channel 44 coverage of the game. Shows you what hustling on every play can lead to because you just never know. Mark

To one and all this weekend. I hope everyone has a safe, fun-filled and good one. Take some time to be with family and friends (you never know what the future will hold...) Best wishes to all. Mark

Garfien tweeted that there was "very little" to the three way trade rumors. The Yankees, he said, haven't been involved in Q for "awhile." For what that may be worth to you. Have no idea if this will happen as rumored or not. Mark

Cleared waivers (naturally...who'd want him?) and he's been reassigned to Charlotte. Mark

Just wondering...has anyone read or heard anything from Hawk about the "rebuild?" Last comments I can remember from him were hoping the Cubs win the series and that JR will certainly be spurred on because of what the Cubs did. Haven't seen / heard anything since then. Mark

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Dec 18, 2016 -> 06:54 AM) As of now this team is much worse than the 2016 White Sox. They've lost Sale and Eaton. They have not added a catcher, DH or another outfielder. It would be a miracle if this team became a contender. I don't believe in miracles. Well they weren't going to "contend" anyway in 2017 with or without Eaton and Sale...still far to many gaping holes that weren't going to be solved by a weak free agent class. They needed to make a major change in philosophy and structure. At least they changed the philosophy. All we can do is hope it plays out well and they are ready to contend around 2020. Mark

It's not "rooting" per se for Sox losses but understanding that they are rebuilding...losses are going to come regardless, probably a LOT of them so you hope the organization can take full advantage of them from a draft position standpoint. Nobody WANTS to see the Sox lose (save for Cub fans...LOL) but that's the reality of things, you try to make the best of it. Mark

Regardless of whether they are 30-0 or 0-30 to start the season, STAY WITH THE PLAN. Mark

QUOTE (StrykerSox @ Dec 13, 2016 -> 08:17 AM) May 10th. I know, because I was there and it was my birthday present. There was a long rain delay, they came back, Avi cleared the bases with a double to put us up 10-5. It was late and our 1 y/o needed to get to bed, and I figured it was over, so I agreed with my wife that we could leave. Our season ended a few minutes after we walked in our front door. Yep. It was all downhill from there. Reality set in. Mark