NWINFan

Gambling had been a big part of MLB from the beginning. MLB looked the other way until 1919 when it could no longer look the other way. What the Black Sox did was obviously wrong, but I'm convinced there was all kinds of cheating that many got away with.

I have never thought the White Sox were the worst even with some of their bad stretches. I do think the team has under-achieved, especially in the playoffs. At this point, the rebuild has worked to a degree, but I'm not anticipating multiple championships. It helps that the team is good and in a bad division, but I wonder how they will do in the post season.

LaRussa's statement is laughable, something no fan can take seriously. He is showing his age again.

Won't argue with you there. The results were the same.

I will take issue with you on one simple thing. The DH was added out of desperation. There was just no hitting in the American League. In 1968, Carl Yastremski won the AL batting title with a .301 average and was the only .300 hitter in the league. Bill Melton won the home run championship in 1971 with 33. Three years later, Dick Allen won it with 32. It wasn't a matter of drawing in the casual fan. Fans didn't like the AL because it was full of banjo hitters. The Sox had horrible offensive teams from the mid-late 1960s. Attendance plummeted because no one wanted to see a team of .230 hitters. In 1970, the Sox didn't even draw 500,000. Something had to be done. The DH was created and it has worked fairly well. I don't think I will say the same for the new diluted playoff system.

You are right. Fans can vote with their pocketbooks. I think MLB was shocked after the game resumed in 1995. They thought everything would return to normal, and fans would come flocking back. They didn't, and the fans who did return were pissed. MLB loved the homer race, but that only led to a scandal. I am only speaking for myself. I don't want a diluted playoff system, and I think tradition still has a place. I am in no hurry to return to the ball park. If other fans want to buy into everything MLB sells, that their choice. But right now I am now wasting my money on this shit.

They could stop the spiral to oblivion by not having pointless lockouts. And I am suspicious of change when its main purpose to line someone's pockets.

If modernizing baseball means further expansion and the dilution of the playoffs that make the regular season almost meaningless, you can count me out.

Everything can change with an eventual new ownership. I believe the Cubs lock on this market can be challenged even with a stadium that is now over 30 years old. For decades now, I have heard Sox fans worry about the team leaving. Not going to happen as long as JR owns the team. At this point in his life, I don't think he wants to do something like this. Even if the Sox moved sometime in the future, I don't think the American League will want to concede Chicago to the National League. Some other franchise will fill the void. Regardless, I have no concerns about the Sox leaving or the Cubs being the only team in town.

I remember Ribbie and Roobarb very well. Nobody wanted them. Nobody liked them. I can't remember anyone asking for them or anything like them. Their fading into history bothered no one. A flight into the sun would have been too good for them.

The only time the White Sox had a successful post season was in 2005. They have lost every other series since division play began in 1969 and have looked bad in doing it. I was hoping for more than winning a bad division or going to the playoffs in a 60-game season, I know some are not happy with all the money spent on the bullpen, but the complete game vanished a long time ago. Starters now think they're doing their job if they go six innings. That means the bullpen has to take over a third of the season. I am not pessimistic about 2022 but the club still has question marks.

I agree. These two teams will be tougher this year. The Sox should win their division, but it may not be as easy as some fans think. It will be under 10 games.

Looked like he had a promising career until he hurt his back. Still had some big home runs for the team. He was one of those bad luck players who never was able to live up to his potential. Decent guy who did provide some good memories.,

Many baseball people say spring training is too long, and players don't need that much time to ready themselves for the season. But I would not want to see the preparation cut too short. The agreement is not going to happen soon. Cancel April and negotiate how 2022 is going to come down. It they negotiate about anything.

I have stopped following the news about the lockout. I just assume there won't be a full season, if there is a season at all. I am not going crazy trying to analyze this situation.

I don't care who it will help. They are going to turn a great game into a joke.

MLB at least used to pretend that it cared somewhat about the fans. In this case, they are not bothering to pretend. Why should they care? They believe that fans will take whatever they dish out.

I'm with you on this. I've been a fan a long time and have had my fill of strikes, lock-outs, bad PR moves, White Flag Trades, various scandals, and a host of other stupid stuff. We fans then get lectures from MLB and the sports media about how loyal we should be. Somehow, loyalty is never a two-way street, and, for some reason, there is a great feeling of entitlement on the behalf of professional sports. Nothing requires us to attend games or otherwise support MLB or any other sport. And for this bargaining process to go on for so long with no resolution is a disgrace. When will baseball return? I truly don't care at this point.

By now, rational people would have come up with some kind of deal. Each side would not like parts of it, but they would be able to live with it especially when the industry is doing well and most are making money. But we're dealing with greed and short sightedness. Not to mention power plays. I don't agree with everything posted here, but I can see the rationale behind things I don't agree with. I probably could have a conversation with many people here. What is missing in these talks?

The only thing we know for certain is that we don't know when the season will start. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see major league baseball in 2022. If we do, the season will be significantly shortened. None of this has seemed right from the very beginning. It was as if there was no chance at any agreement would be reached. No matter who "wins" this thing, it won't be much of a victory in the long run. The damage to the sport will be considerable.

I don't see what Manfred brings to the table. If I were a player, I wouldn't be all that receptive to anything he said. The only positive he could have is that he is not a negotiator. In these situations, personal grievances worsen things and perhaps talking to a different person would help. But he is a tool of the owners, and I can't see what he could do to change things. Baseball needs a real commissioner with real power. That hasn't happened in a while.

The owners want to break the union, and the season is in danger. In a sense, it doesn't matter to me. Whenever the season begins, if it begins, I will not attend a major league baseball in game in 2022. My small boycott will not affect things, but it will make me feel better. I have no interest in expanded playoffs or any kind of strange season that will happen, if it happens. I don't know what all of this will accomplish, but for at least one season, I want no part of it.

Yes, it looks that way. We are going to lose games this season. It is just a matter of how many. Meanwhile, there is no use trying to make sense of this. Too hard on the brain.

A great memory from the 1983 team. One of the better mid-season trades. Too young to go.

I am at the point where I don't care what they do. Get agree to something already. If they want to ruin the sport with expanded playoffs, there's nothing fans can do about it. They will probably find other ways to ruin the sport while they are at it.