vilehoopster

There's a scene in Ghostbusters where the giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is coming to kill them, and they all expect to die, no chances left. Egon says that maybe they should cross the streams. Murry/ Venkman says that he told them they all would die if they crossed the streams. Egon replies, "There's definitely a very small chance we could survive". Bill Murry/ Venkman thinks about it, and realizes, as much as it sucks, "definitely a very small chance" is way better than no chance at all to survive; so he does the line, "I love this plan . . Let's do it". He knows that a terrible plan is way better than no plan at all. That's where I'm at with this White Sox team. I'm a White Sox Fan, and spring training is here. I know that everything looks bad for this year, and the team this year could really suck. But again, I'm a White fan, and damn it, I'm gonna stay a White Sox fan, and there's "definitely a very small chance" they could succeed and maybe contend for the division. And since the other choice is ignoring the White Sox and baseball after a long winter (for me, baseball death). I’m jumping on that “definitely very small chance” and so I love this team and I’m getting excited about this Sox team. So here goes, why I’m excited about this team (some of these I’m more confident about than others): A lot of my hope rests on the benefits of a motivated and quality clubhouse. I think that could really make a difference, or I’m hoping it will. I’m very curious and excited about this new pitching staff, especially with the improved defense. I expect Cease to be outstanding until he’s dealt at the deadline. I expect a solid bounce back from a couple of either Fedde, Soroka, and Flexen. I think maybe one or two of them can be this year’s Mike Clevenger without being . . .well . . . Mike Clevenger. The bullpen: I get that everyone is complaining about the no-name bullpen; but really, even with all the “big names” last year, it was completely terrible, completely. I honestly believe that this year’s bullpen can’t be worse than last year’s bullpen. It can’t be. I expect a big jump in production from Vaughn and Benitendi. I really do; I think that will come from the improved clubhouse and Benitendi’s improved hand. I think, this being the last year of his contract, I expect a motivated Moncada, motivated to play 145 games or so, and actually give some real production at the plate. I’m hanging onto that last month of production he had at the end of last year as evidence of what he can do all year in ‘24. Now to Eloy, hmmm. . . back to the clubhouse thing here. Last year as Eloy sat at his locker, he would look down the row of teammates and see this: fat Lance Lynn who was too lazy to get in shape and lose weight to help his team; the unmotivated Moncada; Grandal, what a piece of yuck; and finally, TA, the biggest cancer on a team loaded with cancers. That won’t be the case this year (I hope). With guys around him putting the team first, I’m hoping that he’ll step up this year and be productive. The defense will be significantly better, and that will help pitching. I know everyone, including me, wonders where the runs are going to come from, but again, it can’t be worse than last year. I just looked it up; the White Sox were 2nd to last (29 out of 30) in run production last year. The Sox offense has to be able to do better (or less bad) than that. And even if it’s not improved, with the better pitching and defense; they’re still going to win more games. So, I say it again: There’s definitely a very small chance that he White Sox could be successful this year, and I’m gonna get behind that chance because it is way better than no chance at all and being one of the countless number of doomsayers. And so, I love the team this year. I’m excited to be a fan of it!!

Does the reason/ title of this topic come from last week's Soxtalk podcast.? If not, it should. The topic of that podcast was something like" Yoan Mocada: It's now or never". Anyway, Ryan McGuffy had one of my favorite quotes EVER concerning the Sox and their recent failures: "Yoan Moncada is the Abe Lincoln on the Mount Rushmore of White Sox busts."

I understand the save on money thing and save on travel and all that. But Charlotte used to come to Indy. I remember going to a Knights game in Indy to watch Cease pitch, and there were a whole lot of Sox fans from the Region and Chicago to see him. Cease was scratched from starting, but that's not important; what's important is that we had a pretty good group behind the Charlotte dugout. I really think Sox management should (I know it's too late for this year already) get Charlotte back to Indy for a series every year, regardless of the money. It can't cost any more than going to Syracuse. The good of having fans from Chicago and Northwest Indiana seeing Charlotte at Indy seems like such a obvious conclusion. I don't understand why it doesn't happen. Seriously, think about if it happened this year. With all those young pitchers that we fans want to see; and to see Quero and Ramos. And think about Colson being from southern Indiana. His town would probably bring 500 people just to see him. If this upcoming Charlotte team played in Indy, on a Friday night this coming August, it's entirely possible that the game would outdraw a Sox game on that same Friday night, considering that the Sox might very well be 30 games under .500. by then. I'm not exaggerating. I think it could and would happen. I just don't get why this doesn't happen every year; again, it seems so obvious. It just seems like another middle finger to the fans from Sox ownership.

I can believe that Bummer will go to Atlanta and be good, maybe very good for them. But there's no way I think Reynaldo won't be up and down crazy and unreliable like he was for the Sox. IMO, there's no way I see him helping Atlanta take that step to a World Series. That blown save against Tampa Bay early in the season started the downward spiral for the Sox last season. It was the equivalent of Engel's dropped foul ball from the year before.

So on the latest Garfien podcast, he and Ryan went on for a while about players sitting out games and taking "spa days". Garfien said something like, "Under Grifol, the players definitely took spa days, and that's on him." Garfien or Ryan said that what Grifol needs to do the first day of spring training is "take the massage table and flip it over, something about sending the Gatorade flying and making it clear that spa days are over. So from this, I assume a spa day is when a player says he has some minor ache and needed to rest it, and instead of playing, that player got a massage and ice bath and all whatever pampering. Can anyone explain more in depth what a spa day was for the Sox? Were they as bad as Garfien made them sound? I don't think we need to wonder who were the guys taking too many spa days?

If the Sox have a "stench", Tim Anderson, more than any other player, has created that stench. I would say more than any other two players the Sox have or have had. I am soooo glad he is gone.

I just listened to the Soxtalk podcast, and the topic was "You be the GM". So fans were supposed to send in their ideas for how to fix the White Sox for next season, who they would sign, who they would, trade, whatever. Then Garfien and Ryan McGuffey would discuss each set of ideas and say what they thought was good or not so good or what was just plan unrealistic. So, on this pod cast, as is often the case with these two on other pod casts, they trashed Moncada and Eloy, and threw in Grandal for also. I get that completely and want those three gone, gone, gone next year. With that said, I don't begin to understand why they never have Tim Anderson in that group as a problem. I see him as a bigger problem then those other three combined. My one wish for spring training next year, more than any other, is for TA to not be on the Sox roster. I just don't get what Garfien and McGuffey are seeing in TA that I don't see. Even when they had the pod cast only on TA, about a month or so ago; they seemed to accept every excuse and quote Tim said, even offering their own excuses for Tim's play and behavior. To me, often what I heard only made me want him gone even more. I just don't understand why they are so tough on Moncada and Eloy, but so forgiving of TA. At the end of the pod cast, McGuffy went on a big explanation about yes, the Sox need to add this and that, but how none of that will matter if the Sox don't get rid of the problem players. He said a quote like the Sox, "need to clean the water" and that they won't start to get better until they get rid of the "muck". I just don't see how those two don't see Anderson as the most mucked up problem in the clubhouse.

" As far as I can tell, the only reason to hate Getz is that Jerry Reinsdorf likes him and that he doesn't come from a different organization." How can you say this?? Getz was in charge of the Sox minor league program, and Sox minor leagues is one of, if not, the worst in MLB. Horrible drafting; horrible Latin player drafting outside of Cuba, horrible skill and fundamental development (Good God, we see this every night!), and the worst of all is our minor league pitching, the laughing stock of the minors. Our horrilbe minor leagues were a anchor helping to pull down the rebuild, not the main cause, but an anchor. And Jerry hires the guy that has been in charge of that for seven year. How? How? How? How can you hire this guy at all and also hire him without interviewing anyone else. This is ten time worse than LaRussa. This is just so depressing. I'm like a few guys have menitioned above. I will keep watching and go to a couple games, no matter what. The Sox are my team. But this really hurts.

People state things on this board that are not correct, and then they get repeated, and people run with them until they're accepted as fact. My example is that last year when Vaughn (and Sheets too) was playing outfield and people were complaining over and over about how he was going to injure someone, probably Robert, by running into him on a fly ball. Now, Vaughn might be slow getting to balls but to say that he couldn't remember to call for a fly ball or hear Robert calling him off was ridiculous. He was no more likely to injure another fielder than any other player, yet it was repeated on his board over and over as fact. Now to Benitendi being a bad left fielder. He won a glove gold there two years ago. He is a very good defensive left fielder, better than I can remember the Sox having there in a loooong time. I get that you think Hahn spent too much for him, or that you're disappointed in his bat. But to state that he's a bad defensive left fielder just isn't true.

I have been more patient with Sheets than others. I really thought he could contribute some power and big hits against right handed pitchers. But it's just not there for whatever reason; the pitchers seemed to have figured him out. It's time to let him go. When the season is over, it's time to throw him on the scrap heap of never going to be of value with Palka and Nicky Delmonico.

Burger today for the Marlins: 3 for 5 with two RBIs including the game winner. I hate how this organization traded away the popular players and left us with this mess. I don't begin to understand it.

Wow, no Vera or Cespedes in the top 30 list?? I've been following their box scores, and I get it, but still, Wow!! Can both or either one get it together and make and help the major league Sox? How often does it happen that a high-ranking prospect who falls out of the top 30 ever comes back and really contributes to the major league team? Does it ever happen? Which one is more likely to make a difference for the Sox?

Again, we can't trade Tim away fast enought. I absolutely do not want him on this team for next spring training. He is an embarrassment to the uniform.

I am so tired of Tim Anderson embarrassing the Sox, so tired.

The biggest disappointment of the the trade deadline was not trading Anderson. I hate him on this team. Please, please, please trade him, give him away, but do not have him on this team next year at spring training.

When do the Marlins play. Are they by chace on Apple TV so I can watch? I just saw that Giolito is not pitching tonight for the Angels. Just in case you had some interest and wanted to cheer for motivated and likeable players.

He's already been pouting since the last few months of last season. He's already a huge issue. He wanted out. He had value. He's a problem. Why wasn't he traded?

Traded Burger, a guy who cares, but I still have to watch Moncada and TA. It drives me crazy. I don't think I"ve ever been more disappointed in being a White Sox. I don't know what hurts more. Burger being traded or Anderson not being traded. It kills me seeing Moncada in the lineup and, even better, TA back to leading off. Someone asked this in the Burger traded thread, something like "Is management trying to put the most unlikable team they possilby can out on the field?"

Thank you for saying this. Agree 100%. Thanks for excluding Gio too.

I will be very disappointed if TA is not unloaded. Get rid of him.

100% serious: he can’t be any worse than Kelly.

White Sox baseball is like being in an abusive relationship. You love them; you want to give and share happiness with them. But all you ever get back is disappointment and pain. And as that pain and disappointment is being dished out on us, we’re constantly being treated with disdain; reminded that this pain is all we deserve and we should be thankful for whatever we get.

End the game with three strike outs in a row. Just great.

I agree with this 100%!!! Yes, it may be better for Sox to lose in the long run. But for God's sake, this is the Cubs!!! We always want to beat/ sweep the Cubs. Again, It's the Cubs. Do the people who want to lose this series even live in the Chicago area? If you're a Sox fan and live anywhere around Cubs fans, you WANT to win these games!!!!!

Not Graveman?????? Ship him out for a bag of balls> Today's loss, is 100% on him. Really? You can't as the closer get three outs before giving up three runs? It's just amazing how bad our bullpen has been this year.