An Open Letter to the White Sox

[Chisoxfn]

Ok - Never before have I ever contemplated doing this, but I'm thinking about writing an open letter to White Sox management regarding the feelings of the die-hard Sox fans. Will it actually make a different, probably not. But I feel as though I have to at least let the organization that I'm such a huge fan of know what is currently going on in the mind of a die-hard Sox fan.

 

Let me know what you think of the below and if these thoughts tend to summarize our base of posters. And feel free to make fun of my grammatical miscues, haha.

 

 

As an avid White Sox fan and the owner of Soxtalk.com, I wanted to reach out to you regarding a recent article which talked about the White Sox attendance woes. I realize your job is to market the club and I feel you’ve done a fantastic job doing that since you’ve joined the organization, but it isn’t marketing that is causing the drop in attendance. White Sox games are a blast to attend. The park is beautiful, fan friendly, and has fantastic varieties of food. The problem with attendance ultimately comes down to the on the field performance of the club and the overall organization.

 

Since 2005, White Sox fans have done a good job supporting their team. They’ve been there in good times and bad times. However, 2011 has been like no other season this 28 year old Sox fan has ever witnessed. While the club opened spring with high expectations the team has greatly underachieved. It isn’t the underachievement which I think leads to the low attendance (although it is a huge factor), rather the underachievement combined with how the organization has handled its successes & failures. And when I say organization, I am referring to those individuals in the public eye, most specifically club management.

 

When a team is winning, it is easy for fans to look the other way when you have a manager who makes questionable decisions and gives even worse interviews (even when at times they are incredibly entertaining). The reality is, with the team underperforming, the perception is that the White Sox are in disarray and ran by a manager who is a total disaster. Fans used to say, oh that’s Ozzie being Ozzie. But after a while, you get tired of it. San Francisco put up with Terrel Owens antics for a while, but eventually, they grew tired of them and Owens’ leash grew shorter and shorter at each of his future destinations. With Ozzie it is no different.

 

Fans can only put up so much with a manager who talks and brags about how he doesn’t read scouting reports. A manager who will get in arguments and publicly call out his players (both current and former). A manager who says you need to play fundamentally sound but then never ultimately holds players accountable. A manager who will get into public spats with executive management (See last year after his son wasn’t drafted high enough). Bottom line, when you compare his actions to what goes on in the real world, you are talking about actions that would get any of us fired. Would I want my stock broker to brag to me about how he doesn’t read financial statements? No. Would I have a job if I publicly aired the dirty laundry of other personnel in my company, No.

 

This is also the same manager who is consistently demanding extensions, having the audacity to tell ownership, in the middle of the most disappointing season in the last 20 years, that if you want me here next year, “things will have to be different”. The same manager who gives his children free access to the clubhouse (which is fine), but becomes a problem when one of his children takes that access and then turns to twitter to publicly air organizational laundry (e.g., Bobby Jenks, Ken Williams Jr., the selection of Keenyn Walker, or more recently Mark Teahen’s Wife). I also realize Ozzie’s son is an adult and is responsible for his own decisions but at the same time, when you run a franchise and that son is impacting the way the organization is looked at from an outsiders perspective, that is a problem. When you have a reporter commenting about how some players in the White Sox locker-room (Beatnik) would like to smash Oney’s face in, that to me is a problem.

 

Add all of the above together and you are talking about a PR nightmare. And this is where I go back to saying ultimately, while the attendance is related to the poor performance of the team, it is also related to the fact that season ticket holders and fans alike have watched this team continue to underachieve (with the exception of 05) under Ozzie. They have seen this team continue to lose to the Twins. They have seen Ozzie and company become continually more crazy. And at the end of the day, they have seen enough. The general tone I perceive running my site and visiting other large online communities relating to the White Sox is that of “White Sox” unrest. And while we as die-hard’s only represent a minority of the area, we also represent a large contingent of season ticket holders and more so now than ever before, I continue to see this growing contingent of members reaching their tipping point, and starting to ask the questions, “Why do I buy all these tickets to the game”, “Why do I continue to follow this team”, etc. All while ownership and management have not done anything to hold individuals accountable. All while our team has turned into, from a national perspective, a bit of a joke.

 

It has gotten to the point that outside of Frank McCourt, that the White Sox seem to be getting a national perception of being one of the most unprofessional organizations in sports. And while I know for a fact that this organization is very professional and tremendous it is hard when you have this general perception out there and changes aren’t being made to address it.

 

Anyway, I realize this is a rant of sorts, but I at least wanted to communicate the summarized feelings of the members of my site, Soxtalk.com to the organization. No matter what, we’ll keep supporting, but I really do hope people within the organization realize the impact of the years of unprofessional commentary that has came from our figureheads has done to the overall perception of a truly great franchise.

 

Thanks for all you do and I truly hope the Sox rip off 15 straight!

[fathom]

I approve!

[Dick Allen]

As I stated in the gamethread, since the season is now 2/3 over, the fact that a guy with a .165 average who has a good shot at establishing a new MLB record for strikeouts in a season is STILL penciled in the clean up spot makes me wonder when winning will become priority number one again.

 

And you are right, as a ticketholder for 22 seasons, this is the most frustrating of them all. I will not be renewing when in the past it was automatic. Failure to make changes whether just being stubborn or stupid is the final straw for me.

Edited August 4, 2011 by Dick Allen

[pettie4sox]

4th

Edited August 4, 2011 by pettie4sox

[RockRaines]

I wrote them a similar letter about why I wasnt going to renew my 10th year of season tickets. I cannot see eye to eye with an organization that cannot run itself properly.

[elrockinMT]

Ask yourself the question: would I write this if the team was winning? If your letter is out of frustration tear it up. It doesn't do anyone any good including yourself. Now if you have made several copies before settling on this letter then do what you feel you have to do. I am a frustarted Sox fan also, but I don;t have a problem with Ozzie. I have a problem though with non-performing ball players. But, relaistically is there anything that can be done with them until after the season?

[lostfan]

I concur in total. I've never had a team that was so hard to like. I don't know, maybe right after the Bulls dynasty was broken up, or the Wannstedt-era Bears were a little worse.

[Dick Allen]

Ask yourself the question: would I write this if the team was winning? If your letter is out of frustration tear it up. It doesn't do anyone any good including yourself. Now if you have made several copies before settling on this letter then do what you feel you have to do. I am a frustarted Sox fan also, but I don;t have a problem with Ozzie. I have a problem though with non-performing ball players. But, relaistically is there anything that can be done with them until after the season?

Yes. Some can be benched, others can be moved lower in the line up. If you want to win you do what you have to do. ARod was struggling for the Yankees during the WS one year. Torre moved him to the 8 hole. Why does Dunn continue to bat 3rd or 4th if the Sox are truly trying to win baseball games? He's one of the worst hitters in baseball. Move him down, if he snaps out of it, then move him back.

[IlliniKrush]

Ask yourself the question: would I write this if the team was winning? If your letter is out of frustration tear it up. It doesn't do anyone any good including yourself. Now if you have made several copies before settling on this letter then do what you feel you have to do. I am a frustarted Sox fan also, but I don;t have a problem with Ozzie. I have a problem though with non-performing ball players. But, relaistically is there anything that can be done with them until after the season?

Really? No problem with Ozzie? Wow.

[Chisoxfn]

Ask yourself the question: would I write this if the team was winning? If your letter is out of frustration tear it up. It doesn't do anyone any good including yourself. Now if you have made several copies before settling on this letter then do what you feel you have to do. I am a frustarted Sox fan also, but I don;t have a problem with Ozzie. I have a problem though with non-performing ball players. But, relaistically is there anything that can be done with them until after the season?

I most definitely would and I have commented in the past about how Ozzie should have been fired for certain comments he's made in the past. The way this organization is behaving itself is wrong. And changes need to be made to hold individuals accountable. Truly, for me, it isn't about the wins and losses as it is about the way you handle yourself. I never have expected the teams I am a fan of to win every year, but I expect them to act and operate with class and right now there is nothing classy about the way Ozzie is doing things. And I could have expanded on problems I have with Kenny as well because quite frankly, Kenny due has the ability to hold people accountable and hasn't done that either. But even when he tries (see Rios), Ozzie seems to have another thing in store for him.

[Chisoxfn]

Hell. I understand the Sox paid a lot of money to Dunn, but we are in August. I'm pretty sure he's not going to just magically get better the rest of the year. At this point, its going to take an off-season of freeing his mind, working out, and making minor adjustments to hopefully get back onto his game. Yet this team has done nothing but trop him out in run producing spots and it makes absolutely NO sense. None.

 

DA gave an example of what the Yankees did with Arod. The Red Sox in the past did things with Ortiz. Yet the White Sox have done very little. Same can be said for Alex Rios. Why should they still be penciled on a nightly basis when they have sucked through the first 4 months of the season?

[The Sir]

Our poor record and lousy play has nothing to do with it. Am I disappointed that such a highly touted team is five games under and sinking fast? Of course. Do I think our "manager" makes silly lineups and poor bullpen decisions consistently? Definitely.

 

But that's not it. I stuck around in 2007 (where at this point, we were only 2 games worse and just starting our utter collapse) and for some reason, it seemed so much worse. But I didn't quit. I watched faithfully to the very end.

 

It's not about the team on the field. It's about the whole atmosphere and general vibe that our leadership gives off. I think that plays a big part in effecting the quality of the product on the field, but it does other things too. Like driving fans away. I'm not gonna act like I've been some USCF regular in my life, as I left Chicago in 1998 and have been to a total of four games since (the last of those being in 2005). Yet because of this idiotic drama with Ozzie and his moronic children, I will not attend another one until they are gone. And honestly, while it doesn't provide money to the club, I'm even finding it difficult to support this idiocy by watching on MLBTV.

 

Who wants to play under that sort of crap? I'm not going to dive into conspiracy theories or defend some of the crappy players we've hosted, but it's only logical to think that some of these players are struggling so bad because they just don't care. They don't want to be here, they do the absolute minimum and they go home as quick as they can. That's what miserable leadership will do to any team, unit, company etc.

 

I don't really mind Kenny Williams or Reinsdorf. But Ozzie and his s***head kids are unacceptable and unprofessional. The man and his children are scum. He is an awful manager who is constantly bragging about how he is MLB manager and his critics are not. He is a racist and so is Oney, and maybe his other kids as well. They are horrible people who I wish nothing but the worst.

 

Hire Tony LaRussa. Hire a better hitting coach (I might be dreaming and I don't know if he's even interested, but dare I say, Frank Thomas?). Higher quality players will come to the South Side and the few that already do will, I believe, be better able to reach their potential.

 

Either way, the drama must end. I will not support this dishonorable leadership cadre as they continue to smear the reputation of the team that has been such a huge part of my life.

[Heads22]

The worst part for me is that I can't even get angry about this team anymore. They're making me not care. I'd normally be watching on WGN right now, since I can rarely see the Sox in central Iowa, but I'd rather not even watch.

[Marty34]

Guillen's time is up, no doubt about it. However, the idea that him continuing to bat Dunn clean up is holding this team back is ridiculous. Nothing Guillen has done has damaged this team as much as Dave Wilder, KW's best friend, being indicted. In fact, if you make a list of the five most damaging moves to this franchise since 2005 ALL of them would be on Williams.

[South Side Fireworks Man]

Fire Ozzie tonight.

[DirtySox]

Guillen's time is up, no doubt about it. However, the idea that him continuing to bat Dunn clean up is holding this team back is ridiculous. Nothing Guillen has done has damaged this team as much as Dave Wilder, KW's best friend, being indicted. In fact, if you make a list of the five most damaging moves to this franchise since 2005 ALL of them would be on Williams.

 

Hi Joe. You forgot to meet your "Hollywood" quota in this post.

Edited August 5, 2011 by DirtySox

[Quin]

Guillen's time is up, no doubt about it. However, the idea that him continuing to bat Dunn clean up is holding this team back is ridiculous. Nothing Guillen has done has damaged this team as much as Dave Wilder, KW's best friend, being indicted. In fact, if you make a list of the five most damaging moves to this franchise since 2005 ALL of them would be on Williams.

 

Yes, also the five best moves to.

 

Because he's the GM.

 

And listening to Ozzie on Thome was easily the most damaging.

[Marty34]

Hi Joe. You forgot to meet your "Hollywood" quota in this post.

 

That was played out a long time ago. You must still have dial-up.

[Marty34]

Yes, also the five best moves to.

 

Because he's the GM.

 

And listening to Ozzie on Thome was easily the most damaging.

 

Disagree, Hollywood's hiring of his thief buddy was more damaging than that.

 

[southsider2k5]

Guillen's time is up, no doubt about it. However, the idea that him continuing to bat Dunn clean up is holding this team back is ridiculous. Nothing Guillen has done has damaged this team as much as Dave Wilder, KW's best friend, being indicted. In fact, if you make a list of the five most damaging moves to this franchise since 2005 ALL of them would be on Williams.

 

Including not firing Ozzie...

[southsider2k5]

That was played out a long time ago. You must still have dial-up.

 

So is the whole only Kenny screwed up schtick.

[southsider2k5]

Disagree, Hollywood's hiring of his thief buddy was more damaging than that.

 

Not even close.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Is Marty really Cowley? lol. I thought you guys were being paranoid. Out of all the things to get on KW about, Wilder is a distant 6th or 7th.

[greg775]

I like your letter. It's polite yet impactful.

 

Truthfully it may be a little long, though, and it's really Ozzie heavy.

It might make the reader think you have an Oz vendetta and might not be as impactful as if you condense the Oz stuff into five lines or so of anti Oz.

 

Personally I'd point out the team is just no fun. Offense sells tickets and our offense is soooo rotten.

 

Good letter, though. I feel it was well written.

 

[caulfield12]

Look at the White Sox line-up and approach tonight.

 

Gordon Beckham's swinging out of his ass against sliders 2-3 feet off the plate that Roberto Clemente or Vladimir Guerrero couldn't hit. He simply cannot hit an above-average major league fastball up in the zone with that stance.

 

Rios, Dunn, Quentin and Ramirez are trying to pull nearly every pitch...how many DP balls and two-hoppers to 3B and SS do we need to see in one year. There's no reason Alexei Ramirez should be hitting into so many double plays, none!

 

Other than Konerko, Pierzynski (sometimes) and Pierre, how many of our hitters take the ball and accept hitting it where it's pitched? Perfect example tonight was Konerko's solid base-hit to 2B/RF through the hole.

 

At least Morel's TRYING to do things correctly up there, but he's just overmatched and needs to play everyday in Charlotte to regain some confidence. You have the sense that those four are the only team players offensively, and maybe Lillibridge, although his offensive approach for the past 6 weeks has been absolutely miserable. At that size (and speed), you have to cut down on your swing, make contact more consistently and put the ball on the ground. Period.

 

If all these players are tuning out (or listening but the results never show up in the games)....then you HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT...unless you want to eat the contracts or trade Rios, Dunn, Beckham and even Ramirez or Quentin.

 

 

Here's the thing. Profit/loss or cost/benefit analysis comes into play more than anything, and JR's a wise businessman if overly loyal to a fault.

 

One thing he knows for sure. Whatever our season ticket base is now, let's say 16-18,000 per game, it's going to be cut down to 7500 to open next season if Guillen, Walker, Williams, Dunn and Rios are all back.

 

It might even be down to 5,000, but the last thing he can afford to do is cut payroll by $30 million, lose Buehrle, bring in no new talent or reason for hope (other than Viciedo) and not change a a single thing operationally/strategically in terms of the direction of the franchise.

 

I don't think JR is dumb. Something has to give between now and the end of December. It simply has to.