Lip Man 1

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 4, 2015 -> 07:54 AM) This and the source make me doubt the story though. For what it's worth I've heard from another source in the media that the two individuals are not getting along. Mark

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Sep 4, 2015 -> 08:31 AM) Same here. The trib is almost impossible to read if not a subscriber, which I am not. Oh well, doesn't sound like we're missing out on much. Without going into to much detail there are ways to read paywall stories from the Tribune via internet searches. Mark

I suspect there is some truth to this, I mean Shark completely fell off the table right after July 31st and that's probably not a coincidence. And Cooper does come across as an arrogant, smug, condescending SOB. However let's keep in mind this is Kaplan. The same guy who was so sure the Cubs were going to go after Albert Pujois that he walked on the set one day wearing a Cubs #5 Pujois jersey. He's the same guy who insisted Joe Girardi was coming to manager the Cubs and who shouted from the rooftops that the Cubs "would not be outbid on Tanaka..." Let's just keep that in mind. Mark

9th time this year the Sox have come from behind in the 7th inning or later to win a game. Balances out the nine times they have lost when leading in the 7th inning or later. Mark

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 12:44 PM) Sox at Minn record just awful this year. Not the first time, probably won't be the last time either. Mark

QUOTE (bjm676 @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 10:01 AM) The pattern is more about a soft-tossing lefty being dominant against the Sox. All I heard on the broadcast last night is how they've always had trouble. This has been going on since the Jerry Manuel era. You would think by now, they would have figured it out. As bad as they are at the fundamentals of the game (and have been since 2003 with the single exception of 2005) I'm not surprised they haven't figured out how to beat soft tossing, junk balling, no name pitchers. Milone by the way is from the Chicago area and grew up a Sox fan. Mark

QUOTE (Julius @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 12:06 PM) So the Hahn thread turns into an Attendance thread....love it! I'm a sucker for it '83-'84 attendance was due to playoffs early 90's attendance was due to a new stadium 2006 - coming off a world series The sox aren't getting a new stadium and the sox are not going to the playoffs anytime soon. Front office/scouting are woefully inept and are incapable of finding 24 guys to complement Sale. Sale will never pitch in a playoff game for the white sox. Season ticket base will be at its 10K base and overall attendance will hover around 19K - 22K, which is good for being above the Indians, Rays and A's for MLB Attendance Standings, which is what we are all obsessed about (even though we deny it...) Again the original statement was Sox fans don't support the franchise. The facts say that is incorrect. All of a sudden conditions and reasons are being listed for doing so, basically making exceptions. That doesn't hold water. If fans didn't support the franchise they would come out under ANY conditions and that's simply not true. I'll go so far as to say Sox fans have been pretty good at supporting this franchise given the generally bad baseball they've seen for decades. I mean five postseason spots in 35 years? The Sox being the only one of the original 16 pre expansion MLB franchises to have never made the postseason in consecutive years?? Given those facts the Sox should be grateful they are even getting the numbers they have been. Just my opinion. Mark

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 2, 2015 -> 08:58 AM) In the playoffs, the bats went silent. I doubt Mussina or Schilling make a difference. Charles Johnson was pretty awesome as a White Sox. Big Hurt and Paulie .000 in the playoffs. .182 for Maggs. They scored four runs in the first game. That would be enough for a pitcher of the caliber of a Schilling or Mussina to win with. Win Game #1 and everything changes potentially doesn't it? Yes the hitting went south but even Jerry Manuel said that off season, that if the Sox somehow won that series they basically had no one left for the next round due to the injuries suffered by Sirotka and Parque to go on top of the injuries to Baldwin (who missed a month and was pitching on guts) and of course the season ending injury to Cal Eldred. The Sox needed pitching far more than hitting at the trade deadline but that's not what Schueler did. Mark

QUOTE (LDF @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 08:28 AM) thanks on many counts and you are 100% correct. the sox fans, except before this yr, did not and will not support a full rebuild. they will show their displeasure by not showing up or spending good money on crap. that has always forced the owners hand to do it correct or even go further than ok in acquiring players. this is the a good enuf span that i can remember in a long time when i seen a time of the org in this state of hopelessness. easy was for me to explain it, a ship without a captain who has a clue of what to do. Well this rebuild while contending philosophy has led to a losing season (counting this year) in six of the past nine seasons, no consecutive winning seasons since 2003-2006, no playoffs (in an era of parity) since 2008, the lowest watched MLB franchise according to Fan Graphs and attendance that's generally ranked towards the bottom of MLB and that lost fans from the previous season for eight straight seasons. I submit that philosophy isn't working based on the historical facts. "It's Time" (sorry LOL) for a change in that philosophy and if that means a total complete rebuild...so be it. How much worse could it get if they did that given the facts I just presented? The REAL issue though is the same people who put this franchise in the position it's in are going to be charged with fixing it. Personally I don't think they can. Mark

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Sep 3, 2015 -> 09:34 AM) Sox fans don't support the team at all, rebuild or not. Have you looked at the attendance figures from the Golden Age (51-67) in relation to the rest of MLB at that time. How about in the period from 1983-84...or 1990 through the labor impasse? Or in 2006. I think those numbers show your statement is very wrong. Mark

I strongly suggest reading Steve Rosenbloom's column on the Sox today in the Tribune. It is 100% right on the money. When the executive VP says publicly he can't figure out what's wrong with the team while the G.M. is saying publicly that everyone is open minded in what needs to be changed you've got a serious disconnect...to say nothing of the disconnect between the organization and the fan base. Really good reading. The reality of course is that as long as JR owns the franchise there will not be much substantial change certainly not bringing in skilled people from outside "the family." Which means more losing, more irrelevancy in their own market and more fan apathy. Also one of the other Sox writers for Chicago Now has an interesting column on why Kenny Williams needs to go at the Tribune web site. Mark

10th time the Sox have been shutout this season. Bad...just bad. Mark

I remember both Curt Schilling and Mike Mussina saying they would not play for the White Sox after reports came out the Sox had interest due to their pitching falling apart via injuries in the second half of the season. I also remember Ron Schueler despite a desperate need for pitching going out and bringing back Harold Baines and Charles Johnson at the trade deadline. By the playoffs the pitching staff was being held together by duct tape and the results were predicatble. Such a sad end to what could have been a great season. But typical White Sox luck. Mark

9th time this season the Sox lost a game when leading in the 7th inning or later. And the first "blown" game didn't happen until May 26th. The bullpen has been directly responsible for losing seven of those nine games. Nine games is a lot to me. Mark

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 02:33 PM) I don't know about anyone else, but I would rather the Sox not break laws and rules. The Wilder fiasco was enough for me. I can't believe anyone would seriously endorse that sort of thing. South: I suspect things like this have been going on for decades, all under the table. I respect your viewpoint but if that's what it takes to win, then so be it. This isn't a morality play, it's a business...and for the last decade basically business has been very poor. Mark

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 02:23 PM) By hiring the guy that traded Rizzo to him. All's fair in love and war. If this was a quid pro quo deal more power to Epstein. Wish the Sox were smart enough to do something like that. Mark

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Sep 1, 2015 -> 08:01 AM) If you have players that reached the major leagues but have no clue when it comes to fundamentals, you have problems other than your major league staff. A major league baseball player on day 1 should understand how the game is played. Given how players are rushed to the big leagues today (the days when guys like Gary Peters and Joe Horlen spent five years in the minors learning their craft are long gone) maybe it would be to the Sox benefit to actually work with players every day no? ESPECIALLY if other teams aren't doing it. Makes you wonder if the coaches feel they shouldn't have to do it, what exactly do they do and what are they getting paid for. And don't overlook the impact a coaching staff can have, I refer back to this quote from Tony LaRussa when I interviewed him. He was talking about when he first came on-board and the Sox started to develop in the early 1980's: "For a long time coaches were just friends of the manager or guys getting their time in to get a pension. But jerry Reinsdorf recognized that because kids were being pushed to the major leagues earlier, the role of coaches as teachers became crucial. He embraced the idea of putting together the best coaching staff you possibly could, that the staff of a manager should be a force for developing players..." Note the last part of Tony's comment. This team has been putrid fundamentally and baseball stupid overall for the past five years or so. Some of that falls on the players, some on the manager and the coaches. This team was also totally unprepared for this year coming out of spring training. They were on a record pace in terms of poor defense and base running according to Fan Graphs. Again some of that falls on the players but in this particular case the majority of the blame goes to the manager and his coaches in my opinion. Mark

QUOTE (LDF @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 07:10 PM) don't get me wrong, i am in agreement with the bold. but is it the coaches fault for that. i mean, it been like this the whole season, i would imagine that the coaches and yes even the GM and team meeting are discussing this. so is it the mgr, the coaches, the players or is it the atmosphere of the clubhouse. It's a combination of all of the above in my opinion. All share in some of the blame. Things aren't helped when Mark Parent makes the statement (paraphrasing) that coaches shouldn't have to work on fundamentals every day with guys because "they are major leaguers..." Mark

QUOTE (LDF @ Aug 31, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) well at least the sox may had some iron in the fire. as i said, i really believe this is going to be a fun off season. Sorry...I don't. We'll see. Mark

QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 30, 2015 -> 04:28 PM) I've been thinking about this topic for a few days now. I remember when Sox traded for Larry Doby, can't remember when, sometime in early 60's I believe. Anyway, he got off to a bad start, and he was booed big time. It was pretty ugly, actually. He had his unique reaction to the booing. Obviously, the slump ended and he played pretty well, and he was embraced, sort of. I'm not saying he was the most hated in Sox history, not even close, but Doby received some pretty intense booing. The Sox made the deal for Doby in the 1950's. Specifically October 1955. Mark

QUOTE (SouthSideSale @ Aug 30, 2015 -> 11:13 PM) I doubt KW leaves. I just want an all new coaching staff starting with a veteran manager. I'd be very surprised if you even got that. I suspect now more than ever everyone returns next year, KW, Bell, Robin and his cadre of clown coaches. It's really hard to find any silver lining for the franchise in all this and it's worse with the Cubs seemingly figured it out enough to look like they could be a factor for years to come while the Sox keep "hoping" they can figure something out. Mark

Another move that when it happened looked good on paper but once again blew up in the faces of the Sox. Kenny keeps pulling the strings on all these deals so I guess we should start calling him the 'puppet master.' Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 09:29 PM) Is this a wraparound four game series where we can get swept? Or just three losses? Aren't we getting close to season-worst in terms of games below .500?? Good job Robin. Good job Coop. Good job hitting coach; I won't dignify using your name cause I forgot it. Series started Thursday, Sox off Monday. Have won a game in this series. Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 08:30 PM) Some of you guys expect a lot out of your announcers. I like Swirsk tonight. Just now he seemed to be enjoying telling that story to Swirsk. Seemed like he was OK with him. Robin seems like an outstanding guy. He has to know the team has no chance with him in charge. If he is manager in April and loses the first 3 vs. KC again (which will happen, unless it's Detroit or Cleveland or Minnie we open with this time and lose 3 to them) it'll be the same ol s***ty season starting all over again. I think he'll agree to step down. He knows his teams are disgracefully bad and have no chance again vs. the Central Division teams. He won't quit for exactly the reason you said...pride. He is not going to walk away with the team and franchise in the position its in because he'll feel he owes it to JR to try to pull them out of the hole. Plus he's got a deal for next year, Ventura seems an honorable man, you sign the deal you live up to it. He won't quit and JR won't fire him ergo he returns next year. Sorry but that's how I see it. Mark

QUOTE (greg775 @ Aug 29, 2015 -> 08:15 PM) Robin has pride. He'll resign after this season. You can't save your job directing a team this s***ty. Bye Robin. You tried but the team is one of the worst in baseball again with a relatively decent payroll. Bye bye. No he won't. Mark