waltwilliams

The disdain for Will Venable from many posters on this site and elsewhere baffles me. Here's a guy who inherited a team that lost a record 121 games and has his team in the playoffs only two years later (after the team improved by 19 games in 2025). The team's only All-Star last year, who he was relying on as his No. 1 starter, is languishing in the minors. He has only truly reliable starter; is starting numerous rookies and wasn't really well-served by his GM during the trade deadline this year. He's Ivy League-educated, super-articulate with the media; a standup-guy who never throws any of his players under the bus; and he is apparently great in the clubhouse. He the hands-down Manager of the Year, if you ask me.

Freddy Peralta would have been a good pickup. He's got a 3.60 ERA across nine starts for the Tampa Bay Rays since his trade from the Mets. Rays only gave up three low-level prospects for him, and they aren't on the hook for his salary after this year. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/freddy-peralta-turnaround-gives-mets-231946662.html

As someone who has lived in the South Loop for 20 years, the Bridgeport/Bronzeville/Armour Square area around Rate Field probably is busier than Roosevelt and Canal. Even for someone who lives in the South Loop, the area around the 78 is pretty remote right now. The active areas of the South Loop include Dearborn Station, Wabash between Roosevelt and 18th Street, and State Street around from Balbo to Roosevelt. All these areas aren't that close to Roosevelt and Canal. The closest activity is the Roosevelt Collection mall a few blocks away, but that mall isn't exactly a people magnet. Of course, that would change with Ishbia's proposed mixed-use village. But there definitely aren't thousands of people walking around Roosevelt and Canal on any day of the week.

Yeah, the participation rate of Black players in baseball in the last 25 years or so is definitely a factor. That said, up to 2013, the Sox were always good for drafting African-American players in the early rounds -- some picks panned out, more or less (Marcus Semien, TA) and other didn't (Courtney Hawkins, Jared Mitchell, Jacob May, etc.). But after TA, the pipeline to Black players completely dried up. And this is even though the Sox sponsored events for minority amateurs like the Double Duty Game. I can't help but attribute this to Shirley's rise in the organization (and KW's being kicked upstairs after 2012).

I'm wondering if Shirley is one reason why the Sox haven't drafted any African-American players of any consequence since Tim Anderson back in 2013. I mean, I can't think of one Black player that they've drafted since then, in any round.

Lackey could co-exist with Teel as well, with Lackey being a righty and Teel a lefty. One could DH while the other catches.

2003/2004 White Sox teams were fun to watch, leading into the 2005 WS team. Those teams were offensive juggernauts, but didn't have the pitching to make it into the post-season (like the 2005 team)

Dustin Harris now an every day starter for the Astros -- he had two hits and a steal last night against Boston. He's 7-for-18 (.389) with four RBI and an .868 OPS in his last five games. For some reason, the Sox gave Kelenic more of a runway than Harris, even though both were highly thought of prospects a few years ago. Wonder why they liked Kelenic more than Harris: https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/astros-dustin-harris-two-hits-steal-vs-boston/

Dustin Harris throwing out Rhys Hoskins at 2nd from left field to end last night's game between the Astros and Guardians: https://www.mlb.com/astros/video/jayden-murray-in-play-out-s-to-rhys-hoskins

He'd be better in a good lineup. Hope they trade him by the deadline to give him a chance and to maybe get a decent prospect

Or start the season starting Sosa at 2B, with Meidroth as the 2B-SS sub.

FWIW, Hays was involved in some controversy during his last days with the Orioles in 2024, when he posted the Instagram post below on Pride Night at Camden Yards. The "day of evil" comment was was seen by some as a coded critique of the O's Pride Night event, which was planned by O's Executive VP, Greg Bader, who is openly gay. The LGBTQ media took Immediate notice: https://www.outsports.com/2024/7/27/24098359/austin-hayes-mlb-gay-pride-night-day-evil/. Hays was traded to the Phillies (for Seranthony Dominguez!) a month after this was posted.

In the Crain's story, Ishbia also describes the Sox as "Chicago's asset": "I never use the word owner. I talk about the word steward," he said. The Sox are "the community's asset. There will be someone who is the steward after me. But this is Chicago's asset, and I will be the steward for a period of time.

For what it's worth, the Chicago sports broadcaster traditionally was encouraged to be a "homer", because that's supposedly what the market wanted, going back to guys like Jack Brickhouse. If you listen to any of Hawk's games when he broadcast the Red Sox, he was nothing like the Hawk of later years here in Chicago. He was still a character as a Boston broadcaster (as he was as a player), but totally objective when it came to calling the game. Hawk himself said that he changed his style to accommodate the Chicago market. I think Schiffren has improved a lot since last year. And to me, he works pretty well with Stone. Honestly, he reminds me of Chip Caray. I caught a few Cubs games in the 90s on TV with Chip Caray and Steve Stone. And I'm struck by how similar the dynamic is with Schif/Stone as it was with Caray/Stone.

Citi Field (and Shea Stadium before it) is currently surrounded by a wasteland of a neighborhood in Flushing -- all littered streets and autobody shops. (Although Steve Cohen has plans to build a ballpark village around Citi Field) Angel Stadium in Anaheim is surrounded by parking lots -- the Disneyland hotels and Disneyland itself is a half mile away. Royals Stadium is surrounded by parking lots. They fell a few thousand short of 3 million in 2006, the year after the WS. And from 2005 to 2012 , they averaged 2.4 million fans, according to B-Ref. That's not bad at all for the smallest of the two-team markets, especially considering how challenging Chicago is for the entertainment dollar in the summer. You have the Cubs, basically a national team, in arguably the most-admired vintage sports stadium in the country. You've got six other pro minor league teams in the area. And you've got Lolla and dozens of other music fests in perhaps the most vibrant summer city in America. The Sox will have to contend with that at any location -- the 78, 35th and Shields or anywhere else. Also, it bears repeating that the neighborhoods around Sox Park have changed a great deal in the past 30 years. Bridgeport has become one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170720/CRED0701/170729995/chicago-s-hottest-neighborhoods-for-home-sales. CPD headquarters is three blocks away in Bronzeville, also home to a major research university and another hot neighborhood, "The Gap", with half-million dollar homes. True, the bad neighborhood rap comes a lot from perception. But also true, that perception is primarily from older folks who've moved out of the city and area.

I'd say 2013, since they had some fun, good teams in 2008, 2010 and 2012. The 2008 team was an offensive juggernaut -- and of course, there was the "Blackout Game". Should've have gotten in the playoffs in 2012, but they collapsed in the last few weeks. And they had that mid-summer 11 game winning streak in 2010 and again should have been a post-season team, but they couldn't beat the Twins.

You're right! I'll fix the original post. They're a good role model for the Sox -- it only took them two years to turn things around and get back in the playoffs, and they've been a perennial contender ever since (cheating notwithstanding).

Gotta disagree about Adam and Stacey -- they're the best sports play-by-play team in the city, if you ask me. I've never heard them belittle other teams/players -- on the contrary, they're respectful and informative about other teams. True, there's a lot of joking during down moments, but they can call a game with the best of them when it matters. Nothing wrong with being fun on a broadcast, as long as you don't lose track of the game. After all, sports is an entertainment.

According to the Crain's story: "(3rd Ward Ald. Pat) Dowell also restated that her support is contingent on the Fire stadium being the only one at the 78, addressing the lingering question of whether Related would continue to pursue a potential Chicago White Sox stadium at the 78 in the future." https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/chicago-fire-related-midwest-win-ok-stadium-78

Sadly, bringing back this thread, as the Sox prepare to make history again as one of the few teams to lose 100 games three years in a row. The last team to do this was the 2004-2006 Royals. It would take them seven years after 2006 to get back to .500, and eight years to get back to postseason in 2014, when they reached the World Series. Hopefully, it doesn't take that long for the Sox.

That's 30 miles away from the city center. If anything would kill the Sox, that kind of move would.

Chicago's MSA is around 9.5 million, Dallas is 7.6 million, so not all that close. True, the Chicago area population is shrinking, but it still has a lot going for it, with regards to location, especially due to climate change. Of course, it's got its issues: underfunded pensions, crime, taxes. But Texas is a major disaster waiting to happen, with increasing heat, operating off its own vulnerable electrical grid, etc. Here's the top 20 MSA's, btw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area

The only reason why there wasn't development around New Sox Park was because Reinsdorf never wanted it -- he wanted the parking lots. Period. Shortly before his death, Jim Thompson remembered that the master plan was always to build a hotel along with housing and retail complexes on the site of old Comiskey Park. Here's Thompson's quote on this topic, from his State of Illinois Oral History. Thompson: "When I was chair of the Sports Facilities Authority, later, I had visions of building across the street from the park, on 35th Street, that whole block. But I couldn’t get Reinsdorf to do it. He just didn’t see the utility of that or its relevance to him and the White Sox organization and the ballpark. But I’m a dreamer and a builder—as we’ve already determined—so I wanted to see commercial activity right across the street. I was thinking of apartments and a hotel and a retail complex." Here's the complete transcript: https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/oral-history/collections/thompson-james-1-1-1/interview-detail/ Also, remember that an entire neighborhood (South Armour Square) was leveled to build the new park, so there's plenty of room for a housing/hotel/retail complex -- much more acreage than the 78.. Also, note that Ald. Nicole Lee is in full support of development around the new park: https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/april-2024/the-new-sox-parks-billion-dollar-question/ And remember, the area is much different now that it was 30 years ago -- Bridgeport has been revitalized by the Chinese community and others. And Bronzeville on the other side is 30 years removed from housing projects, etc. Could this attract visitors year round? It's a good question, although the infrastructure (multiple modes of transportation, existing vital neighborhood flanking the area) is already there.

Gotta give it to the Colorado fans, who always show up. The team's headed toward a 115-120 loss season, and they're in 15th place, drawing over 2.2 million fans. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and its touted "best stadium in baseball" is just above the Sox in 26th place. The Pirates haven't drawn over 2 million fans to incredible PNC Park in 10 years -- proof that stadiums alone don't draw fans, good teams do.

Meanwhile, in 78 news, the alderman (Pat Dowell) representing the South Loop supports the Fire stadium, but only if a second (Sox) stadium is NOT part of the equation. The alderperson's blessing puts the development on track for consideration by the city's Plan Commission on Sept. 18 and possibly the full City Council the following week: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/sports/fire-south-loop-soccer-stadium-wins-aldermans-blessing-if-sox-stay-away?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter-breaking-news-20250910&utm_term=