Lip Man 1

Quantrill was DFA'd by Cleveland today if the Sox are interested in bringing in arms. God knows they need warm bodies.

Coming Spring 2024 on Eckhartz Press: The “Last Comiskey” book by Ken Smoller, based on the critically acclaimed documentary by Matt Flesch, with a “First Pitch” Foreword by White Sox icon @OzzieGuillen about family life at Comiskey.

According to Merkin: "I’ve heard there will be a White Sox winter activity, somewhat akin to SoxFest. There’s no date or locale I’ve been told." Depending on what this is exactly I'll give the organization credit if they finally have the guts to stand up and face the fans.

His solution is to continue making money. As long as he does that he is content. Everything else is just lip service.

From MLB.com today (hardest call to make): White Sox: Matthew Thompson, RHP (No. 22) The White Sox spent $7.1 million on high school righties Thompson, Andrew Dalquist and Jared Kelley in the 2019 and 2020 Draft, and that investment has yet to pay off. A 2019 second-rounder from a Texas high school, Thompson can flash a plus fastball and curveball but got tagged for a 4.85 ERA and led the Southern League with 85 walks while striking out 136 in 124 1/3 Double-A innings. Plus: https://soxmachine.com/2023/11/white-sox-dont-have-to-sweat-40-man-roster-decision-deadline/

Story at CBS Sportsline today say Angels are very interested in TA.

November 12, 1959 - He helped lead the White Sox to their first pennant in 40 years and because of his contributions on the field and in the clubhouse, Nellie Fox became the first member of the franchise to be named American League M.V.P. Fox hit .306 that year with 191 hits, 34 doubles, 70 RBI’s and 71 walks (as compared to only 13 strike outs!) Fox also led the league in put outs, assists, total chances and fielding percentage for all second basemen. He also was named to the All-Star team that season. Nellie would get 16 first place votes by the Baseball Writers Association of America and beat out teammate, shortstop Luis Aparicio, 295 points to 255. Pitcher Early Wynn, who’d win the Cy Young Award that season, would finish third giving the Sox the top three spots in the final voting. November 12, 2020 – It was a very strange baseball season but one thing that didn’t change was the excellence of Sox first baseman Jose Abreu. From start to finish of the abbreviated 60 game season the big slugger produced and because of that he was named the American League M.V.P. by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Abreu finished with 374 total points beating out the Indians Jose Ramirez. He became the fourth White Sox player to win M.V.P. honors, joining Frank Thomas (1993-94), Dick Allen ('72) and Nellie Fox ('59). Abreu's 60 RBIs over 60 games led the A.L. for a second consecutive season. He finished second with 19 home runs and fourth with a .317 batting average. He also ranked fifth with a .987 OPS and was the only A.L. player to rank in the Top 5 in hits (76, first), RBIs, slugging percentage (.617, first), extra-base hits (34, first), total bases (148, first), home runs, average and OPS. A highlight of his season was six home runs in a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field including four straight over two games.

From everyone I have been in contact with over the last few days, it was clear, the way Brooks worked over Benetti during the last contract fractured the relationship beyond repair. Jason of course, would have honored the last year of his deal but you can bet the house as soon as the final game in 2024 he was out the door. he felt screwed over after the way the Sox treated him and if what I was told is true about them telling him to negotiate a deal with Fox then come back and the Sox would work something out with him, only to pull the rug out after he went and did it...there was no going back after that.

Mismanaging is in the eye of the beholder when you are still making millions and millions of dollars through domestic and international outlets. The rest of the board is basically JR's age and they are content with the way things are going. And he can only be removed for illegal activity or financial maleficence. With the Sox making money it would be hard to prove what he is doing is wrong. He's not going anywhere...all you can do is hope to outlive current ownership and see what happens.

After the way Garfien has (correctly) ripped apart the organization the past two years? Never in a million year.

November 11, 1998 - Perhaps the finest deal ever made by then Sox G.M. Ron Schueler. On this date the Sox gave up promising center fielder Mike Cameron to the Reds for infielder Paul Konerko. Konerko would eventually blossom into a consistent power hitting first baseman. Konerko hit 432 home runs with the White Sox and drove in 1,383 RBI’s. He was a six-time All-Star, a World Series champion, the 2005 A.L.C.S. M.V.P. and the 2002 Comeback Player of the Year. November 11, 2005 – They never made it on the cover of Sports Illustrated for winning the World Series, but the Sox did make the cover of The Sporting News for the accomplishment. The caption was short and to the point, “Sweep!”

Includes Boyer comments: https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/brooks-boyer-discusses-jason-benetti-departure-from-white-sox

I'll go out on a limb and say moving the franchise is a pipe dream, simply not happening. Period. Full stop.

You can make that claim going back to immediately after the 1983, 2001 and 2005 seasons as well.

November 10, 1948 - New Sox G.M. Frank “Trader” Lane made his first deal and it was a beauty. Lane traded backup catcher Aaron Robinson to the Tigers for a young left-handed pitcher named Billy Pierce and $10,000. Pierce would become arguably the finest left hander in White Sox history. He won 186 games in a Sox uniform with two 20-win seasons, seven All-Star selections, starting three games and four one-hitters. He led the A.L. at various times in wins, complete games, ERA and strikeouts. He was the first Chicago athlete to be put on the cover of Sports Illustrated which happened in May 1957. He also was on the cover of Sport Magazine later that same year. By WAR Billy was considered the best pitcher in baseball for the decade of the 1950’s. November 10, 1966 – The White Sox officially announced they had signed a deal to leave WGN-TV to start showing their games on WFLD-TV, channel 32, starting in 1968. The deal’s base payout was $1,000,000 annually to the Sox for five years for a minimum of 123 games televised including games from the West Coast which had never been shown on WGN. Much like the SportsVision decision made by the club in 1982, in theory it was a sound business idea but in reality the technical limitations and the fact that most of Chicago couldn’t even receive the UHF signal turned the move into a disaster as the Cubs, still on WGN, expanded the number of games they were showing and with the financial backing to go along with a talented team in the time period from the late 60’s through the early 70’s made the White Sox almost invisible in the market. November 10, 1993 - Frank Thomas won his first M.V.P. award on the strength of a .317 batting average with 41 home runs and 128 RBI’s. The “Big Hurt” was a large reason the Sox would win the Western Division championship. Even rarer, his winning the award was by a unanimous vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Thomas grabbed 392 points in the voting. Paul Molitor of the Blue Jays was a distant second with 209 points. The awarded netted Thomas a $100,000 bonus. Thomas would repeat winning the award in 1994. November 10, 2014 – White Sox slugger Jose Abreu was named the unanimous winner by the Baseball Writers Association of America as the A.L. Rookie of the Year for 2014. He got all 30 votes on the basis of a spectacular first season in the Major Leagues…a .317 average with 36 home runs and 107 RBI’s. He led the Major Leagues in slugging percentage as well. Pitcher Matt Shoemaker of the Angels was second. November 10, 2021 – Liam Hendriks was named the winner of the American League Reliever of the Year Award. The 31-year-old Hendriks signed with the White Sox as a free agent after the pandemic shortened 2020 season coming from the Oakland A’s and more than lived up to his contract in 2021. He had a 2.54 ERA and an incredible 113 strikeouts against only seven walks in 71 innings. He led the league with 38 saves in 44 attempts. Hendriks was the first Sox pitcher to win this award which began in 2014 but former players like Eddie Fisher, Terry Forster, Rich “Goose” Gossage and Bobby Thigpen were also relief pitcher award winners while they were playing.

“They wanted me. And I wanted them just as much. I knew I was surrounded by people who want to be so extraordinarily great.”--Jason Benetti.

AJ is an analyst he's not a play by play person.

https://soxmachine.com/2023/11/white-sox-let-jason-benetti-jump-to-detroit/

https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/press-release/press-release-luis-robert-jr-wins-silver-slugger-award?partnerId=zh-20231109-1084770-CWS-1-A&qid=16&utm_id=zh-20231109-1084770-CWS-1-A&utm_source=cws_club_news&utm_medium=email&bt_ee=JuL4IKi44Qp6%2FWuL3sHgOGtroUgXKUWPFx0PUIg8hSERR1yFBJptzcr88RgJ8Q1Q&bt_ts=1699573113547

Just so you know Sully is a long time Sox fan. I've spoken to him about this many times. He and his family were going to Sox games as far back as the 1970's.

June 20, 1980 - Tigers outfielder Al Cowens attacked Sox relief pitcher Ed Farmer. In the 11th inning of a game at Comiskey Park, Cowens ran towards Farmer after hitting a ground ball instead of running towards first base. The two had a melee on the mound. One-year earlier Farmer broke his jaw when he was pitching for Texas on an errant pitch. Chicago police went looking for Cowens after the game to press assault charges. Farmer, who had polycystic kidney disease, ended up on the bottom of the pile, where his cysts burst and his kidneys weakened. He would be an All-Star the next month, amid his greatest season, but Farmer said from the moment after the brawl he felt weaker, and was never the same pitcher.

Update to earlier story with quotes from Jason and a name to watch moving forward: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/9/23953866/jason-benetti-leaves-white-sox-tv-booth-for-tigers-with-one-year-left-on-contract?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110923 Afternoon Edition&utm_content=110923 Afternoon Edition CID_9da9ecd5921bcfd59ccb854d64522f6b&utm_source=cst_campaign_monitor&utm_term=Jason Benetti leaves Sox booth&tpcc=110923 Afternoon Edition

Just heard from a source who said Benetti spoke with them yesterday to let them know he was leaving. Source said he left because of Brooks Boyer.

Updated info. Story said the relationship had soured: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/9/23953866/jason-benetti-leaves-white-sox-tv-booth-for-tigers-with-one-year-left-on-contract

November 9, 2005 – After a season that saw the White Sox win their first World Series title since 1917, the Baseball Writers Association of America awarded the Manager of the Year award to Ozzie Guillen. Guillen, the former Sox All-Star shortstop, guided the team to a wire-to-wire Central Division title with 99 wins; they then went 11-1 in the postseason capping it off with a four-game sweep of Houston for the championship. Ozzie picked up 17 first place votes and 105 total points to beat out Cleveland’s Eric Wedge. Wedge got six first place votes and 71 points while the Yankees Joe Torre was third with 43 points.