Highland

One thing about rebuilding: If a player shows some real ability, he will want to be paid. An organization can cheap its way through only for so long. I'd rather have Crochet on the team. His latest remarks don't concern me.

It's amazing what happens when you score runs.

Jerry was never going to let the fans run his team. And he shouldn't. But I think he wanted to make a connection with the fans but didn't know how. I am convinced that the criticism and public backlash bothers him a great deal. He won't change what he is doing, but he is human. A normal person wants to be accepted and liked. He used to walk around SoxFest. He won't do that now.

His age has to affect him even if he is a healthy 90-year-old. Times change but some people don't adapt to changes. I can't remember when was the last time he spoke publicly. For the past few years, he has been a recluse anyway. He really wasn't good at making public statements. Whatever is going on, I can't see he can be happy with his team now. The White Sox are nothing but the subject of ridicule.

Usually, powerful people have one person who can tell them when they're screwing up. JR doesn't seem to have that person. I don't know how White Sox employees can look forward to going to work with this stuff happening. Here we are, not even in mid April, and the only thing we can speculate about is whether the Sox can be worse than last year. Nothing can be done at this point except bring up minor league players, and they may not be ready yet. I've never seen this franchise in this bad a shape. New stadium anyone?

I recall Lynn bitching and moaning and then go out and give up four home runs by the fourth inning. But, in this case, he is right.

I am old enough to remember the stretch from 1968-1970. The Sox lost 95. 94, and 106. They were completely overshadowed by the 1969 Cubs, the franchise had no money, and attendance plummeted. At the end of 1975, they almost ended up in Seattle. Today's White Sox aren't going anywhere, but this three-year stretch is much worse. The ownership of the late Sixties wasn't disliked like now. So, while the Sox are staying here, big time damage is being done to the franchise. No wonder some are hoping for a new stadium to save this team.

The White Sox cannot keep calling this a rebuild and expect patience. The organization is in free fall. Instead of the Sox becoming an elite AL team after winning the World Series, it has completely gone backwards. Real change needs to happen, but it doesn't happen. There is no reason to think the franchise has any real future. It is a shame things have sunk this low.

Getz is a symptom of the problem. When JR decided to let go of Roland Hemond, he handed the job to Hawk. After Ozzie left at the end of 2011, an era of sorts ended. Who was hired as manager? Robin Ventura. Just as the rebuild looked like it was working, who was hired? Tony LaRussa. Two long term employees get canned. Who gets hired? Getz. When big decisions need to be made, stuff like this happens. Firing Getz would help, but I dread to see the replacement.

When a team signs players like this, it is because they have no one else. They have taken tanking to new lows.

During the past 40 plus years, the team has gone through several rebuilds, They usually lead to short-term success and then back to another rebuild. SInce the World Series the Sox have had 12 losing seasons and are on their way to a 13th. The hell with rebuilds.

Just a bunch of politically correct stuff. Really didn't say much.

I agree, This is nothing but a scam. The White Sox pretending to be a major league franchise is the best way to describe it. After a 121-game losing season, next to nothing was done to improve this team. I don't expect Dodger-like money to be spent, but something should have been done. Why go to a game when fans are taken for fools? But JR will go on and on. And we will be entertained by 100-loss seasons.

And we have no idea when this is going to happen. Might as well not even think about it.

Reality has to be hitting others who were gushing over a 2-2 start. And it is a harsh reality.

Of course, no one would want an owner in the same situation as Veeck. My point was that Veeck was well-liked even though many were happy when he sold the team. JR has never established a good relationship with the fan base. You're right. JR has been a PR disaster. My other point is that when people accumulate this much money and this much power, they become even more detached from people who don't have that kind of wealth. I wonder how he can watch this team lose over 100 games a year and not seem to care. But it doesn't seem to bother him. His objectives are a lot different than ours.

He is only doing what JR the billionaire wants him to do. It is amazing that so little has been done to improve this team since the 101-loss season. Apparently Reinsdorf doesn't mind seeing an empty stadium.

The fact that the new owner has to be a billionaire because of baseball economics makes the fan even more powerless. MLB will do what it wants, and the fan has no say-so or ability to influence decisions. My beef? RIght now, as an organization, the White Sox have no credibility. A new owner does not mean credibility will be restored no matter how much money he has. I have been a fan for a hell of a long time, going to both parks during winning and losing seasons. I have never been this discouraged about the state of the franchise. Bill Veeck was not perfect by any means, but he understood what fans wanted when they came to the ballpark. What does a billionaire know about the average working-class fan? Nothing. He knows about his ego and non-ending greed. We don't need another out-of-touch owner. I don't understand the hostility. I am a writer who has written five books about the White Sox and soon will be publishing my sixth. Don't be angry at me. Be angry at the people who has run this organization to the ground.

While I would welcome JR no longer running the White Sox, I am not looking forward to another billionaire taking the team over. I know MLB is a money-making business, I am not interested in an owner, who despite having billions, doesn't think that will be enough. RIght now, the White Sox have one ongoing tradition: that is losing 100 games. A new owner may not change that. MLB used to be for the working class. No more. They can keep their $1.7 billion stadium.

Schriffen is one reason I am not watching the White Sox. Steve Stone is the other.

It probably will be at least good, but it is not going to keep this pace. The Angels stink and the Twins are off to a bad start. Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining about winning two games by a combined score of 17-1. But let's get real here.

If anything is going right in this rebuild, it's the pitching. It's the rest of the time I worry about. Although it must be said, the pitching isn't going to be this good all season.

If the Sox are going to avoid a disastrous season, they have to get off to at least a decent start. It would be nice to be able to look at them as competitive.

Football can always run into rough weather. Baseball is a warm weather sport. I do remember Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez hitting home runs on a frigid opener. It was amazing they could hit a ball that far on such a day. You can't avoid cold spring days but scheduling can help. It doesn't help to everybody and his brother going to the playoffs.

For me it is a matter of principle. I have been to both parks in insanely cold weather. This stupid and diluted playoff system cause this March nonsense. And the Sox still can't get to the post season.