Tony

Pretty sure it’s David Puddy.

I have some news you aren’t going to like. You, me, and everyone else in the stands don’t have any impact on that. “We” aren’t part of the team. We’re fans. Fans that have been rooting for one of the worst franchises in sports. I don’t try to tell people to be fans. You want to hold out hope, that’s on you. But it’s nothing more than blind faith. Using any historical data to guide your decision making will tell you this will be another season of MLB without the White Sox in the playoffs

What "Solution" are you suggesting?

The depressing fact that we always circle back to is...say the Sox flip the script and go on a 10 game winning streak (that was hard for me to even type out, let alone imagine) That brings them to 18-21, which still sucks, especially considering the division and this "World Series Window" On top of that, while making the playoffs gives you a better shot at winning the World Series, than, say, not making the playoffs...this team isn't anywhere CLOSE to Tampa, the Blue Jays, still even the Astros, and then teams like the Braves, Mets, Brewers, Dodgers, etc. So what is the point? There is too much history to tell us Rick and Kenny don't know how to build a consistent winner (because they legitimately never have) and Jerry won't ever invest to "push the team over the top" or seemingly invest in the infrastructure that winning organizations have. There have been a few outliers in the last 15 years, like the Nationals winning it all in 2019 and the Royals in 2015, but in both those cases those teams executed full rebuilds and the Nats made the playoffs in 5/8 years during their run, while the Royals had a much shorter run with a 5 year "window" but two World Series Appearances. The other teams to win World Series since 2005? Cardinals, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, Giants, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers and Braves. Those have been the premiere franchises in baseball basically since the 90's and there is a reason for it, which isn't just payroll. The point is it's not just about "luck" in the playoffs, it's about building a consistent organization that can make playoff appearances on a regular basis, giving your team an actual chance for sustained success. That objectively will not happen with the current leadership in place.

This is going to save someone’s job, isn’t it?

I say this being 100% genuine...in 2023 raising your child to be a Sox fan is just setting them up to hate baseball ?

I’ve used this analogy a bunch, but they went “all-in” with the rebuild and it has been a total failure. When you go all-in and lose…you don’t get to buy back in. Yet Rick and Kenny are still employed.

I'll be somewhat shocked if their first round pick, whenever that happens, isn't an OL or DL

We're well past the post of anything left to salvage, the train has left the station...I'm just here to see how bad it's actually going to get.

Very well put Ray

I’m also curious to see what happens there. Kenny JUST talked about accountability, so if no one meets the media tomorrow, just add another line of bullshit to the list

14 hours is far too long for this thread not to have a post in it

I've very rarely questioned guys work ethic or said someone is "soft" because we simply don't know what we don't know..... But Moncada is soft as baby s%*#. It's incredibly obvious.

Very well put, Joe.

It doesn't have to be like this.

How involved do you think Jerry is in the hiring and decision of the scouting and minor league operations staff? That falls under Williams and Hahn. Neither one of us know the detailed inner workings of the Sox, but from a basic standpoint, all baseball operations fall under the President of Baseball Ops and General Manager. That's Kenny and Rick. Again, there are 100% limitations placed on Rick when signing top dollar talent. My point is, there are plenty of teams that face those issues and seem to figure out solutions. The Sox have the most expensive bullpen in the majors. Maybe take 10 million of that and put it into the minor league development staff? I'm just not going to accept any sort of excuses for Rick. And if it was truly as bad as you are making it, he isn't an indentured servant. If it's that bad...leave. He hasn't.

This is the same as asking “Who’s vacuuming the floors of the Titanic?” Who cares

Bullshit There is nothing misleading about the Sox having an 180 million dollar payroll this year, and being 7-15, along with all the other stats that have been mentioned. You act as if Rick Hahn has never met Jerry or has no understanding of how he operates. Yes, he isn’t able to sign a Bryce Harper. That sucks for us and Rick, and Jerry needs to go. We are all on the same page. But to place all the blame on Jerry, and taking any of the blame off Rick is insane and asinine. We just got swept by the best team in the league, who hold a payroll of 74 million. They have been in the playoffs the last 4 years, and currently have the best record in MLB. The decisions Rick have made has directly put the Sox in this position. It’s his job to work within the limitations the owner sets, which quite frankly isn’t near as limiting as teams like the Rays, Brewers, Guardians, etc…who have had a way better track record than the Sox the last decade.

The Sox “window” started in 2020, after a 72-89 2019 season. As we know, since the start of the 2nd half of 2021, the Sox have been under .500 during that time. They’ve now played more baseball under .500 during their “window” than above it. Let that sink in for the “mastermind” that is Rick Hahn.

Or do they all know they literally can’t be fired and have tenure, and just stopped caring?