Tony

Kelvin Banks (OT) - Round 1 Omarion Hampton (RB) - Round 2 Tyleik Williams (DT) - Round 2 I really hope they don't go RB in Round 2. There is just too big of a need with both trenches, it should be OL-DL-OL.

I’m just tired of having the same “debate” over and over again, and hand up, that’s on me more than anyone. But when I look at the state this city is in right now across the sports landscape, seeing an owner like Jerry have actual “fans” come to his defense with “Ugh, no matter what he does, you guys will always be unhappy with him!” Just boggles the mind. And I suppose in some ways, the statement is correct. No matter what Jerry does with his two teams, fans DO find a way to be upset…. Since end of the 2014-15 season… Bulls have 330-428 record (.435) 25th in NBA. Sox 666-851 record (.439). 2nd worst in MLB ahead of only the Marlins at .435. Jerry’s teams are a combined 996-1279 But the fans are the assholes.

But that’s just it. And what MANY of us have tried to explain to you. You THINK you’re smarter than everyone here, but we all have eyes and brains, and have come to conclusion that’s simply not the case. See, in your post defending Jerry, you listed out signings like Adam Dunn, Andrew Benintendi, Grandal, Kimbrel…there is a pretty common theme there, which I’m sure even you could spot. Grandal was probably the best one, and he produced a total of 2.5 WAR over 4 years. 73 million for 2.5 WAR. Now, Jerry isn’t the one acquiring the players. But he is responsible for employing the FO who have the job of player acquisition, and has a nasty little habit with both his teams of keeping executives FAR past their expiration dates. But you used the term “willful misrepresentation” in your last post, which again seems fitting given this notion that fans will be upset at Jerry for anything, even if he signs a player to a $100 million dollar contract. Again, this narrative the fan is in the wrong, not Jerry & the White Sox. A franchise that set the MLB record in futility in 2024 and currently, Vegas odds have the Sox O/U set at 51 wins for 2025, by far the lowest win total in the league. Oh, and 2023 saw them post a robust 61-101 record. If the Vegas odds come true, from 2023-2025, the White Sox will go 153-333. And I really don’t think anyone needs a history lesson on the last 15 years of White Sox baseball. So maybe fans do have a little more to gripe about with the owner of the White Sox than just contract value. But I’m just guessing.

Like with any JR team...it's a road to nowhere

The fans are really unfair to him, just ask some on Soxtalk.com

That’s a lot of words to say your comment was wrong and you do, in fact, give a s%*#.

1. You have no idea what the response of the fan base would be if they signed a prime Bryce Harper, or Aaron Judge, or Juan Soto. Partly because there is literally no history of it to speak of. 2. Conversely, there is a TON of history, on this site, of you caring very much what people think, and turning them into 12 page threads with the same arguments about Getz, Jerry, Donald Lucy and a host of others. So when you puff your chest and say “I couldn’t give a s%*# about how much people b**** about Reinsdorf and this team” I’m absolutely going to call bullshit on that one, because it’s objectively false, as much as you want to tell everyone it’s not. If your statement was true, you’d have about 1/8 of the post volume you have here.

lol, who are you trying to fool here? Yourself?

He may start to win people over when he signs a player to a contract over $100 million, you know, like every other franchise

I think it's a good hire by the Bears, but it's insane the fall from grace he's had, seemingly for no reason (that I'm aware of) He was a hot name for HC just a few years ago, now he's a RB coach for the Bears?

Yeah, this seems like a fairly simple equation, and I'm sure it's an exercise the FO has gone through. They have a threshold of what they would move Robert for today. If there isn't a team meeting them at that threshold, they are holding onto him. At that point, there are basically two directions you take it. 1. Robert bounces back in the first half of the year, stays healthy, and is a soon to be 28 year CF who is raking and has two more years of team control after 2025 2. Robert puts up a similar performance in 2025 that he did in 2024, and his value either stays the same or goes down even further. At that point, you either lower your threshold of what it will take to move him, or continue hoping he unlocks his tools.

Jesus, when are these coaches going to learn? Lol

I think it's sort of level setting. Vibes are high the last 10 days with them landing Johnson (want to be clear, doesn't mean it will translate on the field, vibes are high on hiring the big name out there) There have also been a lot of names thrown out there in the rumor mill, and most importantly, Dennis Allen, Al Harris, were both really well-respected names and hires. When Declan Doyle was announced, it sort of came out of nowhere and wasn't a big name that has history to look at. I think that's where the "frustration" came in with people. But right now, BJ deserves the benefit of the doubt.

I watched about 8 total innings last year, and I expect that number to be significantly lower in 2025. Go Go White Sox!

This isn’t true. You’re acting like it’s 1985. Sports fans have become conditioned to “rebuilds” in most sports leagues. Not saying it’s the way it should be, but it is. Look at the Bulls. They have literally been playing the same season for the last 3+ years, being 4-5 games under .500, with not even the smartest basketball minds able to figure out what their long term plan is. It’s totally hopeless. The Blackhawks are terrible, but at least with the Hawks, you understand the mission. Stan Bowman, like Kenny and Rick, was retained far too long. The veteran core continued to rot year after year and players weren’t being developed. When Davidson was finally brought in, fans were excited for a fresh voice and new vision. And he was fairly clear with fans that in order to fix this, they had to bottom out. And it was for a chance to land a generational type player. Which they accomplished. This year has been a disappointment for the Hawks, but they still feature one of the best prospect pools in the league and the future still looks bright. Championship Contender or Worst Team in the League..fans want to know there is a plan in place. What’s the plan? What am I watching right now? Are they trying to be awful, and if so, what’s the prize they are going after? People just want to know what the plan is. When you don’t have one, that’s when things get ugly. Transparency matters.

Pretty happy with the staff, the OC hire seems weak but that role was never calling plays, hopefully this “kid” is a really smart mind. Still pissed about Fraley, but I’ll get over it someday

The cowboys thing really is crazy. I don’t understand AT ALL what Jerry is trying to do. They were going to keep McCarthy, denied the Bears the interview request, then fired him. “America’s Team”, with an owner that craves attention and the spotlight…announces their new coach at 10pm ET on a Friday night? Why are you hiring a guy no one is excited for? Did he even have any interviews this cycle with any other teams? He didn’t even call plays last year lol. Like absolutely bizarre. Oh, and they brought in Flus as DC lol.

I think you’re just a little upset I’m better at this than a “professional” organization

They didn't want to "waste a year"

1. I'm not exactly sure what industry you are referring to, I'm assuming you mean other GM's in the league, and if that's the case....um, so what? And also...no you wouldn't. Using your logic, because Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams were here in 2005, they have earned lifetime contracts? They can never be fired? The architects of 2005 went 655-802 from 2011-2019. That should absolutely be enough to get canned, but because they won in 2005, they get to be here forever? 2. When Chris Getz, or any industry executive gets in front of a microphone, they aren't speaking to the media. They are speaking to the fans, the media are just the vehicle for that communication, and that role has been significantly diminished with social media and teams controlling more of their own messaging. The point is, there was, in my opinion, a failure to set fan expectation and made the job and mission more difficult for the White Sox. And could have been solved with a simple change in messaging. You are free to make any excuse you would like for Getz and the White Sox. "Yeah, but..." is very easy to do. I happen to believe organizational transparency is important and in most cases is well received. The original tweet of this thread, the quote from Getz..I think is the right message. I think he's getting better with quotes. I also believe saying "We're committed to building from the ground up" is a year too late.

“We have to make some adjustments to improve in 2024. … When I say I don’t like our team, we’ve got pieces that are talented and attractive and they can be part of a winning club, but obviously, we haven’t gone out there and performed. It’s not a well-rounded club right now. We have to find players to come in here and help get us in the right direction.” “Yeah, we’re going to have to create runs,” Getz said. “We’re putting a lot on Marcus Thames and our hitting coaches to get the most out of these guys. But most importantly, I think these players are ready to go. They know the adjustments they need to make. It’s going to be a battle out there. And we’re gonna push these guys and we’re going to do everything we can to score runs.” “The team does need to come together, they need to go out there and perform,” Getz said. “There’s no secret about that. But you know, that’s kind of the beauty of baseball, and there’s plenty of optimism going around with our club.” I certainly don't think they were as forthcoming and transparent as they could have been...

It's amazing how much damage Jerry caused from a PR perspective with his comments about "not wanting to waste a year" And while there are MANY things to be frustrated about regarding this organization, their continued lack of media training and strategy has always been maddening to me. To your point, they could have done themselves a lot of favors by coming out and saying "Listen, we had people here that quite frankly we're probably here too long. We can't do anything about that now, they're gone, and this isn't about putting a fresh coat of paint on things, this is about tearing it down to the studs and starting over. And I know Sox fans aren't going to love hearing that, I know the pain the fan base suffered through a rebuild that didn't result in what everyone wanted, but this organization needs an entirely new approach or we're going to all suffer similar results, and that's not acceptable to anyone. It's going to be painful, it's going to take time, but I am so committed to doing things the RIGHT way to build something that will have sustainable, long lasting success. It's all I care about." You say that out of the gate, you buy yourself A LOT of good will. But they went...a different route. And it's on THEM for that, not the fans.

Yeah, and with the media landscape today (that has changed A LOT in the last five years or so) we would have a pretty good idea if his reputation is inflated. When Waldron was hired, you had Seattle players going on podcasts saying "Yeah, good luck with that Chicago..." That clearly hasn't been the case with Johnson

Alright, I'm out on Johnson. f*** that guy 😂