The continuing fall and decline of PHT.

[SoxAce]

First, knowing J4L this is all going exactly to his plan. There's no frustration on his behalf in regards to the team, believe me. He masterfully threw out the bait and sat in the corner twiddling his thumbs awaiting the bites.

 

However, as one of those 10yr veterans of Soxtalk this thread is an example of EXACTLY the time of atmosphere that existed in the "golden age" (definitely from 2003-2004). Reflecting back, I recall Old Roman, BMR, Cluer, Beastly (or WSC), JimH constantly instigating trouble and riling up everyone. There was no message board decor or rules, it was literally the equivalent of a youtube comments section.

 

Also, consider that 10-11 years ago when this site began most of the active members were in the 16-25 age range. I'm sure this same age range is represented across all message boards. Most within this group were either in school or just finishing and had the available free time to regularly post. Now, consider a decade passing; these same people have careers and families draining their lives and free time. I was 18 when I joined here, and having just started college my time was devoted to not only following the White Sox and our minor league system, but those of other teams. Enough to where, when draft time came around I could have probably created my own Top 30 draft board. Now, I'm practically baseball retarded outside the White Sox. With my career and other obligations I'm lucky to post once a week.

 

Steff was a gem too wasn't she?

 

And Tizzle my nizzle pretty much nailed it. I wish I was 17 again when I started posting here and just didn't give a f***, but things change. (well, I still don't give a f***, but with maturity now) And Felix knowledgeable on PHT? LMAO since when? He does own everyone's life on the NBA threads though. I still follow this board, but it isn't the first page I click on like it once was for years.

[elrockinMT]

Do NOT panic folks. Do NOT turn on each other like rabid dogs. We can turn this around. We CAN go on a hot streak . We will know when it's over if and when Hahn starts to trade our good players

[witesoxfan]

Do NOT panic folks. Do NOT turn on each other like rabid dogs. We can turn this around. We CAN go on a hot streak . We will know when it's over if and when Hahn starts to trade our good players

 

It's over dude.

[witesoxfan]

It's over dude.

 

Let's put this another way - for the White Sox to reach 90 wins, they have to go 58-25 from this point forward (.699 winning percentage). Hell, just to get to 85 wins, they have to go 53-30 for a .639 winning percentage. It's simply not going to happen with this team.

 

The absolute best thing to do at this point is to sell pieces off. Really, the Sox winning like 10 of 12 at this point woudl be one of the worst things they could do.

[Balta1701]

Let's put this another way - for the White Sox to reach 90 wins, they have to go 58-25 from this point forward (.699 winning percentage). Hell, just to get to 85 wins, they have to go 53-30 for a .639 winning percentage. It's simply not going to happen with this team.

 

The absolute best thing to do at this point is to sell pieces off. Really, the Sox winning like 10 of 12 at this point woudl be one of the worst things they could do.

Sadly, with the way this team is performing right now, I'd have more confidence in the remnants after a bunch of trades reeling off 10 wins than I do with this crew.

[witesoxfan]

Sadly, with the way this team is performing right now, I'd have more confidence in the remnants after a bunch of trades reeling off 10 wins than I do with this crew.

 

I agree completely.

 

I think we will see this team continue to struggle until September, where they'll be above .500. They'll still lose 90+ games, which, again, really is not a bad thing for this franchise right now.

[elrockinMT]

We do not need a wholesale trade off in my opinion. Tweaking (in the legal sense of the word) yes. And a hot streak may show that is the way to go. We have real good players having bad years at the same time IMO

[BPK]

The absolute best thing to do at this point is to sell pieces off. Really, the Sox winning like 10 of 12 at this point woudl be one of the worst things they could do.

 

Exactly. It's time we took that plunge, and it's actually set up pretty well in terms of the assets we have at the major league level and a likely power shift in the division over the next few years. But we have to commit to a different direction now.

 

[witesoxfan]

We do not need a wholesale trade off in my opinion. Tweaking (in the legal sense of the word) yes. And a hot streak may show that is the way to go. We have real good players having bad years at the same time IMO

 

Who are these real good players having bad years? Of those that I count, the only player who has been really good that's having a bad year at all is Konerko. There are players performing under expectations for sure, but I wouldn't classify what guys like De Aza, Dunn, or Ramirez have done (offensively) as "bad."

 

I had no problem letting this team play through until July, but at this point, they really need to sell quite a few pieces off to recharge the team.

[Iwritecode]

With WSI as the other option, this place will always be fine by me.

 

At least the mods here are knowledgeable and post about baseball instead of parading around policing like they're the gestapo.

 

J4L would get the boot for life if this were WSI. Something to consider...

 

I know of 3 or 4 other Sox boards. None of them really have a lot of baseball talk happening right now either.

 

ST and WSI are just the 2 biggest.

[Rowand44]

First, knowing J4L this is all going exactly to his plan. There's no frustration on his behalf in regards to the team, believe me. He masterfully threw out the bait and sat in the corner twiddling his thumbs awaiting the bites.

 

However, as one of those 10yr veterans of Soxtalk this thread is an example of EXACTLY the time of atmosphere that existed in the "golden age" (definitely from 2003-2004). Reflecting back, I recall Old Roman, BMR, Cluer, Beastly (or WSC), JimH constantly instigating trouble and riling up everyone. There was no message board decor or rules, it was literally the equivalent of a youtube comments section.

 

Also, consider that 10-11 years ago when this site began most of the active members were in the 16-25 age range. I'm sure this same age range is represented across all message boards. Most within this group were either in school or just finishing and had the available free time to regularly post. Now, consider a decade passing; these same people have careers and families draining their lives and free time. I was 18 when I joined here, and having just started college my time was devoted to not only following the White Sox and our minor league system, but those of other teams. Enough to where, when draft time came around I could have probably created my own Top 30 draft board. Now, I'm practically baseball retarded outside the White Sox. With my career and other obligations I'm lucky to post once a week.

 

This issue isn't on the Soxtalk moderators, really. Through the years an unexpected incident would arise that would ban a few people, and as a result new rules would form. It's the natural progression of any site. It probably helped this place survive so long. I've always felt, the chat room is where the fun is. I remember numerous nights of past years where several of us would be up long after the end of a game. Unfortunately, I haven't been around to promote it and I don't believe others have had the motivation, either.

 

Personally, I'm content with Soxtalk. I still check this board every day even if I don't post, and I'm sure other old-timers do the same. There's always a new influx of posters to replace those that have since stopped contributing. Without it, there'd just be Fathom and ss2k5 talking to themselves.

 

But as always, f*** WSI. That sentiment hasn't changed over time.

This is a fantastic post.

[TheBigHurtIsBack]

The NBA thread is by far the worst thread in this entire forum. It has gotten worse than the days where every thread turned into Daniel Hudson vs Edwin Jackson.

 

I come to Soxtalk for everything: White Sox, other sports, the tech thread, other SLAM stuff, the 'buster, etc.

 

I've never been in that thread that I can recall, but would I be presumptuous if I said that I figure it's a bunch of ignorant, butt-hurt people still b****ing about LBJ leaving Cleveland and denying that he's the best player in the NBA right now?

 

LBJ/Heat haters are some truly sad people. Anyways, carry on!

 

 

BTW, I fully agree on selling off this year. I just wish I had more faith in the organization to do more of the right thing, especially in terms of fundamentals and farm system development.

Edited July 2, 2013 by TheBigHurtIsBack

[T R U]

I cant stand caulfield.. I really wish I could rip him but sadly that's not allowed..

[caulfield12]

I cant stand caulfield.. I really wish I could rip him but sadly that's not allowed..

 

 

I love how everyone forgets THAT THERE IS AN IGNORE BUTTON, lol. Why did the board owners put it there, I wonder?

 

Besides TRU, have at it, you and J4L can help improve the gamethreads since I won't be posting in them anymore. I'm sure you will consequently find something or someone else to complain about.

 

 

Personally, the posters I've enjoyed reading recently are Fathom, witesoxfan, southsider2k5, balta, jake and ultimate champion...heck, i would even have put Marty34 on the list, because his thinking is always counter-intuitive and he challenges conventional wisdom and can occasionally force you to rethink your position.

 

Should we start threads about individual posters and dissect them? Really? What's the point of a post like this? Am I supposed to feel "bad" or hurt or upset, lol?

 

As far as ripping on me, nss and kyle do it all the time, although they prefer obliquely mocking me. It's fine...but to think you're not allowed to rip on anyone is ridiculous. I ripped on j4l for ripping on me, there's a LOT more freedom here than you actually think if you want to pretend I have some kind of protected mafia don-like status like a mod at WSI.

Edited July 2, 2013 by caulfield12

[nitetrain8601]

Flash nailed it. I'm 27 now with two kids. I don't got time to make long ranted posts, wait for others to reply, then replay back with another few essays. I, like Flash, usually check up on the board, read it, and fade away. I guess we can all contribute a little bit more, but honestly, unless we start calling people out and having heated debates, it'll probably stay the way it is.

 

I occasionally will post, but I don't follow to the degree in which I used to.

[Reddy]

agree with flash, but the reality is this: the sox suck, this board sucks. the sox haven't been good in years, so it feels like this board has sucked for years.

 

pretty straightforward.

[Wanne]

This kind of stuff always seems to happen when your team sucks.

 

This...I wouldn't get too worked up about it. I rarely post anymore...but always check in. But what else is there to add? All I can tell you is I'm EXTREMELY excited about a complete fire sale, gutting, etc....as best we can...but most excited about a TOP 5 PICK next year!...FINALLY! Picking in the 17 range every year screams MEDIOCRE!!!

 

Tell ya the truth J4L...I've noticed the bickering and b****slapping on every board I'm on. People just seem pissy anymore...

[Jake]

When I'm feeling down about the Sox, I usually avoid PHT as much as I can even though I frequent other threads since I have begun to trust certain posters on certain things so I am more comfortable going to ST for many non-baseball things. I don't love just hating on everyone and everything so I try to avoid going into threads where I will feel the need to talk everyone off the ledge. The rest of the forum is great, for the most part.

 

Anyway, I think the ultimate health of the forum depends on more enthusiastic posters. The "golden age" (Was it golden?) was powered by a lot of super enthusiastic posters with time to post. This is true of every forum. Likewise, individual posters' usage levels will change on any forum over time. You hope that for every frequent poster that becomes less frequent, a less frequent poster becomes more frequent. I have no idea if that's the case here right now. I don't mind the level of traffic. There is a ton of discussion (IMO) but I can keep up with it. I frequent some forums where there is too much activity to keep up with or so little that there is little motivation to keep checking throughout the day. ST fits nicely in the middle for me if I check in once or more per day. A couple days away and I won't be able to catch up on conversation, which is fine.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I love how everyone forgets THAT THERE IS AN IGNORE BUTTON, lol. Why did the board owners put it there, I wonder?

 

Besides TRU, have at it, you and J4L can help improve the gamethreads since I won't be posting in them anymore. I'm sure you will consequently find something or someone else to complain about.

 

 

Personally, the posters I've enjoyed reading recently are Fathom, witesoxfan, southsider2k5, balta, jake and ultimate champion...heck, i would even have put Marty34 on the list, because his thinking is always counter-intuitive and he challenges conventional wisdom and can occasionally force you to rethink your position.

 

Should we start threads about individual posters and dissect them? Really? What's the point of a post like this? Am I supposed to feel "bad" or hurt or upset, lol?

 

As far as ripping on me, nss and kyle do it all the time, although they prefer obliquely mocking me. It's fine...but to think you're not allowed to rip on anyone is ridiculous. I ripped on j4l for ripping on me, there's a LOT more freedom here than you actually think if you want to pretend I have some kind of protected mafia don-like status like a mod at WSI.

 

Thing is, I didn't even rip you. YOU ARE long-winded as f***. Just like I didn't rip soxfest. All of his posts literally are negative one-liners. I guess both of you guys stand out more since the gamethreads are so inactive now. I never said either one of you were bad posters. The ones I did rip are the clowns from filibuster. But that's another story. But I digress. This thread can get locked for all I care. Like I said, it's just not that serious. It was Saturday night, 3somethin' in the morning and I was wasted. Oh well.

[caulfield12]

Thing is, I didn't even rip you. YOU ARE long-winded as f***. Just like I didn't rip soxfest. All of his posts literally are negative one-liners. I guess both of you guys stand out more since the gamethreads are so inactive now. I never said either one of you were bad posters. The ones I did rip are the clowns from filibuster. But that's another story. But I digress. This thread can get locked for all I care. Like I said, it's just not that serious. It was Saturday night, 3somethin' in the morning and I was wasted. Oh well.

 

 

Okay, in the interests of board peace, let's just agree to move on.

 

Life is too short. I guess the reason I reacted the way I did is because it has been frustrating the last month or so because it seems everyone has just given up on the season...and then to feel like you're being criticized for trying to add or contribute something (especially gamethreads that are only 4-5-6 pages long) or for still continuing to follow the team, well, I reacted honestly, so maybe it's healthier when we put all these issues out on the table.

 

Anytime you name names, or don't name names, or leave someone out...feelings can get bruised.

 

And maybe your post reminded me that perhaps it's time to take a step back and not be so involved (the whole tuning out until the trade deadline stance)...that there are lots of other things in life to spend your time on than bad/frustrating White Sox baseball.

 

We've still got half the season left, so somehow we have to get through it together, yes?

 

I realize my style isn't for everyone. There are some that like it, some that hate it, some that put me on ignore, it's all good.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Okay, in the interests of board peace, let's just agree to move on.

 

Life is too short. I guess the reason I reacted the way I did is because it has been frustrating the last month or so because it seems everyone has just given up on the season...and then to feel like you're being criticized for trying to add or contribute something (especially gamethreads that are only 4-5-6 pages long) or for still continuing to follow the team, well, I reacted honestly, so maybe it's healthier when we put all these issues out on the table.

 

Anytime you name names, or don't name names, or leave someone out...feelings can get bruised.

 

And maybe your post reminded me that perhaps it's time to take a step back and not be so involved (the whole tuning out until the trade deadline stance)...that there are lots of other things in life to spend your time on than bad/frustrating White Sox baseball.

 

We've still got half the season left, so somehow we have to get through it together, yes?

 

I realize my style isn't for everyone. There are some that like it, some that hate it, some that put me on ignore, it's all good.

 

If you want to do that, fine. But don't let me or anybody play ANY role in your decision whatsoever. That's lame. I get more s*** in the NBA thread than anybody here anywhere. And I don't give a f***. I'm the smartest person there (besides brother quinarvy). Nobody will ever chase me from that thread.

[caulfield12]

If you want to do that, fine. But don't let me or anybody play ANY role in your decision whatsoever. That's lame. I get more s*** in the NBA thread than anybody here anywhere. And I don't give a f***. I'm the smartest person there (besides brother quinarvy). Nobody will ever chase me from that thread.

 

 

It's not about being the smartest...if that was the case, Rick Hahn already would have led us to the promised land due to all of his time spent at NU and Harvard Law.

 

Sometimes, the smarter you are, the more information you have access to, the harder it is to pull the trigger or make decisions...paralysis by analysis.

 

 

[Joxer_Daly]

Fabulous opening post. Totally bonkers, but enjoyable for that.

[caulfield12]

Holy tangent!

 

 

Do you really have nothing better to do?

 

When I was 19, we were out in the world actually going things, spending time with our girlfriends, travelling to concerts or going to the amusement park or swimming pool....there was no need for Twitter, fb or cell phones to occupy all of our time. We figured out something new to do everyday, we didn't ask to be entertained.

[caulfield12]

Again with the tangents. Again with the attempts to delve into my personal life.

 

In the summer, from 8-12 Monday-Thursday I sit in gen eds at my local community college. Soxtalk keeps me sane during that time.

 

Don't tell me about the girls you supposedly got. You're a real Internet Brad Pitt. You're the same dude who posted pictures of sub par women you would try to get on a message board. Not going to waste any time saying "I do this and that" like you. If you doubt me as 19 year old follow me on twitter.

 

In any case, and lets consider you brought this up, I spend significantly less time on here than you. I am also a 19 year old and you are a grown ass man (I'm guessing because of your rejection of social media and tangents about older players).

 

 

Try to get, lol?

I don't reject social media, I just see no need to follow actual celebrities or even minor ones like Courtney Hawkins. I'm certainly not interested in following you at twitter.

 

If you're talking about using social media for philanthropy, fundraising/nonprofit/NGO work, organizing political movements (like in the Middle East), that's a totally different situation.

 

Are any of your twitter followers female? Somehow, I highly doubt it.