South Side Hit Men

Nice to see Engel in as well, hope he is able to regularly start if he continues to do well like he did last season. Nice for Collins, Mercedes and Berger to get some time as well. Glad the next three are available via radio / website, will try to get the Cleveland broadcast online if it isn't blacked out like regular season games.

Claiming Boozer or any other free agent signing over the past two decades was a "top" free agent signing doesn't understand how the NBA works. Between the toxic owner and front office, nobody with better options was signing with the Bulls. Period. As bad as GarPax sucked (466-437 .516), they still managed a better record than White Sox Tony La Russa (522-510 .506) White Sox GarPax (Hahn/Williams 526-667.440) This is the toxic history that Michael is attempting to rectify with the Bulls after years of effort and finally being able to clean house. Someone, be it Reinsdorf kids or an external owner will need to undertake with the White Sox once Jerry departs from his role or Earth. I'm hoping for new blood, but anyone is better than the current option.

Says the cowardly ass who won't honor his ban bets, because why operate with integrity in life. And WTF did my post have to do with TLR, talk about derangement?

Yet he wasn't. And unlike Pujols, he's not a future HOFer, didn't sign anywhere close to a record contract, A season where legitimate championship caliber free agents did sign. Lebron, Dwayne Wade (not the shitty version your Chicago Bulls signed) and Chris Bosh. But stick with your narrative. Yes, the Bulls have been a premier Free Agent destination since Jerry gleefully pulled the plug on the Jordan era. The great Carlos Boozer signed here. Such an attractive place to play, Gotta love playing for GarPax and Jerry, why would anyone with a choice play anywhere else. Dear Leader, we thank you for the crumbs you graciously provide.

Yeah, not buying the apologists claiming Boozer, who Jerry paid over $18M to leave, was a big game changing acquisition. Good solid player, not an All Star, team didn’t get very far postseason. For the record, Boozer was acquired via trade not free agency. July 8, 2010: Traded by the Utah Jazz with a 2011 2nd round draft pick (Malcolm Lee was later selected) to the Chicago Bulls for Mario Austin. Back to the OG topic, the transaction was discussed on the Score. They speculated on what this could mean, but one pertinent topic mentioned was the fact this transaction allows the Reinsdorf kids to buy out minority shareholders looking to sell at pennies on the dollar to cash out now, versus what they would likely net after Jerry dies and the team is up for sale to a majority controlling partner. Worth a listen for those interested. https://www.radio.com/670thescore/podcasts/laurence-holmes-on-670-the-score-61

LOL, yes we are all impressed with the Carlos Boozer championship era with the Bulls. About as impressed as with Tony Boozer La Russa's HOF tenure with the White Sox. Losing four straight to the Heat was Boozer and the Bulls high water mark since Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause's "Organizations Win Championships" swept out Jordan, Pippen and Phil Jackson and ushered in their preferred era of Bulls Basketball - max profits, sellouts to watch literal shit, and minimal on court success for decades. Still waiting for a game changing legitimate championship caliber free agent to arrive, perhaps this decade.

Boozer was an Amnesty disposal, and was never a top free agent. Are you really claiming Wallace was a top free agent? During his nearly two-year run in Chicago, Wallace battled with various knee injuries and averaged 5.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. I guess in White Sox terms, he would be a highly successful signing, given the mostly below 0 WAR crap Hahn has signed over his eight year tenure.

It took Michael over a decade (Named President in 2010) to finally clean house with the Bulls, replacing GarPax with a competent Front Office and qualified professional coach. It will still take years for the Jerry Reinsdorf stench to clear to the point were top free agents consider the Chicago Bulls a legitimate free agent destination. I'm hopefully fresh blood is brought in this decade, and not have to wait until the 2030s/40s for Jerry's lackeys Kenny, Hahn and La Russa to be replaced by legitimate top quality professional management, and the Sox can attract quality free agents and not overpaying for old and declining free agents with nowhere else to go. Bulls had the same issue (mid 30s Dwayne Wade their top external free agent signing since the Jordan era).

Marz Brewery is Just over a mile west of the park, very good craft, good food and free pinball and video games makes this a fun place to visit. Skylark on Halsted near Cermak is a great bar to visit as well, good bourbon whiskey and craft, nice chill atmosphere. Do miss McCuddy’s and Puffers, Jimbos was meh. Haven’t been to what Puffers became.

Will the White Sox also be as ready as the Pittsburgh Penguins were to photoshop masks onto fans that don't comply? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9327483/Pittsburgh-Penguins-fire-photoshopping-masks-fans-faces.html

I’d like to see a solid FA SP signing next off season. If Lynn is solid, a 1-2 year deal could work as well. All three of the Sox young SP core have great stuff, I believe Katz can work with them to harness their control and be solid dependable starters if the team ever permits them to becoming starting pitchers. If two of three develop into solid 2-3s, with Giolito and say a Lynn or good FA starter makes a formidable playoff rotation. They should still have a solid bullpen, and their core hitters will have a full year of experience. Perhaps Engel will be ready to play 120 games a season based on the progress he has shown against RHP, assuming Tony let’s him play regularly if Engel outperforms Eaton. Engel had a .837 OPS vs righties last year, much stronger than Eaton at .768 at his natural platoon split. Engel is a much better outfielder and has more power as well, he is by far the superior option at this stage of Eaton’s career. My preferred lineup would be Anderson, Moncada, Abreu, Jimenez, Robert, Grandal, Vaughn, Engel, Madrigal.

The less Tony does or speaks, the better. Let Narron, Cairo and Katz manage the team, he can collect victories for his record. In terms of playoff rotation, the Sox best chance at a World Series during this window is to have Kopech and Crochet in the rotation. 2022 is the more realistic option on that front, unless they sit out until mid season, which I don't see happening with La Russa "win today / April 9th" trumping everything. 2022/23 Giolito, Kopech, Crochet and Cease and or perhaps a solid FA signing >>> 2021 Giolito, Lynn, Keuchel and Cease Hoping Keuchel misses 1-2 months early this year, to force them to reconsider Kopech / Crochet La Russa bullpen boy toy time, and to avoid Keuchel vesting in 2023.

White Sox baseball, you need to be blotto to watch it, or manage the team.

If it is just tax/estate planning for a sale to a different owner, fine. If it's to control the team in perpetuity after Jerry's death, then it looks like I'll continue allocating White Sox ticket and merchandise money for other entertainment options. 26 U.S. Code § 666 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/666

This off-season was to placate Tony, give him players he remembered (Lynn/Eaton) or likes (Hendriks pet rescue). Just glad its one year deals for Eaton and Lynn, and Hendrick's $s are 2/3 of Grandal and Keuchel. My choice of words in terms of development is based on many young important core pieces facing their first full MLB season. Other young players around the league are facing the same challenges, but the White Sox are relying on more key younger players than any other contending team. That's why I believe 2022 is a more realistic chance of everything coming together in terms of legitimate contention for a World Series. Wouldn't have committed so much for four years to three 30 something players, but it is what it is with this FO. It's also why it is so important Kopech and Crochet are managed to be able to start 25-30 games next year. If they are kept in the bullpen to placate Tony over the next season or two, it will be a monumental and unforgivable epic waste of talent. Max MLB Games Played / Season Hitting: (Age 24) Madrigal (29 Games 2020); (Age 24) Jimenez (122 Games 2019); (Age 23) Robert (56 Games 2020); (Age 23) Vaughn (0 Games). Max MLB IP / Season Pitching: (Age 25) Cease (73 IP 2019); (Age 22) Crochet (6 IP 2020); (Age 25) Kopech (14 IP 2018).

You just proved my point. Funny, the Dodgers and Yankees don't play these service time games and they seem to be a lot more successful than White Sox. The Padres are "all in" this season. Trying to finally win the AL Central is not "All In". Fucking over Andrew Vaughn is not going to help the Sox today or tomorrow. Emulate the Dodgers and Yankees, not Seattle and other teams that suck ass in perpetuity.

I enjoy listening to games and watching game recaps every year, win or lose. If it was contingent on the team winning, I wouldn't have been a fan in the first place, since they sucked the first year I watched/listened, and they are the only franchise in MLB to have advanced only one year in the playoffs across the 45 seasons of my fandom. Last among 30, I'm still here. Have only booed three White Sox players/managers ever (and of course Reinsdorf and Einhorn), unfortunately two of the three returned this off-season (David Wells was the third). In terms of the team's prospects, I believe this will be a developmental year, and if Cease Kopech and Crochet develop and the later two are allowed to emerge from the bullpen, the White Sox have a good chance at a playoff run the next two years before contracts for their core begin to expire.

Moneyball and the emergence of baseball analytics media coverage shifted fan mindset from wanting their favorite team to acquire the best players and team, to wanting their favorite team to tank, screw over players for as long as possible, and delay the arrival of the best prospects, pretending they are GMs paying homage to the actual GMs. The top government propaganda ministers and consumer marketers in the world couldn’t concoct a better scheme to convert customers to DEMAND and PRAISE a lower quality product, at ever higher prices. “They give you this, but you pay for that.” - Neil Young

Really looking forward to Jose and his fellow teammates rendition. It will hopefully be embraced more than Jose Feliciano’s performance before the 1968 World Series which some protested as “disrespectful”. Still remains with Wayne Messimer one of my favorite versions.

Planning and discussions for large scale openings like schools or for what we are discussing are planned well before an opening. COVID cases could drop and stay at zero, and it would still take substantial time for all the relevant operations (stadium personnel, CPD, IDOT, CTA, food / beverage / merchandise) to get organized, have personnel trained, uniformed and available, have items delivered and staged, etc. It’s a lot more involved than what people are discussing here. The City and Sports teams would have substantial discussions in terms of allowable operations, and it wouldn’t be until full agreement before teams can begin ramping up planning for opening up stadium operations. It’s why the August 1 date both mentioned on the Score last month, and the usher letter noted above is the most realistic expectation fans should have. Not saying it takes five months to get things ramped up, but it’s not going to be seemingly light switch flip for other reopening pronouncements for small independent bars and restaurants which require a shorter lead time.

Assessing a poor contract / overpay does not equate to 'hate'. The Sox are paying him for 2020-2023, not 2015-2019. Neither of the teams who had him during the past five years had any interest in signing him to 4 Years $73M, nor did the 27 other teams. A smart GM pays future production, not the rear-view mirror. He couldn't beat out McCann for more than slightly half of playing time behind the plate, and pitchers significantly were better with McCann over Grandal behind the plate. You can't credibly state a catcher in his 30s will play 162 games with your extrapolation. He was on pace for 86 games caught last year, and the Sox will be fortunate if they can get a productive 300 games caught the rest of his deal. The Sox also better hope MLB does not go to automated strikes with the next CBA, which would render Grandal a below average defensive catcher when he is healthy enough to catch. Look at other lengthy high priced deals to catchers in their 30s and report back with all the success stories, would love to hear about catchers retaining high levels of production and ability to continue to catch 120 plus games each season. Fisk is the only one I can recall, and the Sox capped out at $1.2M / year on his highest deal. The same Fisk La Russa stuck in LF until he was forced to walk back that debacle shortly before getting shitcanned.

$18M+ for four years on a $125M payroll team in his declining age 30s seasons? Especially with greater needs in RF and SP the past two years and beyond, and the restrictions that contract puts on future teams? Hard pass on Grandal, the conclusion of 29 other teams with that length and dollars. Definitely a head-scratcher deal to be the "biggest contract in club history".

Managers have slotted scheduled innings for select pitchers for the game. Teams don't have several pitchers in a bullpen available. I don't agree with the changes to the 2021 regular season in terms of 7 inning Doubleheader Games and runners on 2nd in extras. Made sense last year, doesn't this year. Was also a major reason I was vehemently opposed to the Owner's proposal to start the season in May with a bunch of bullshit scheduled 7 inning doubleheader games, not to mention unscheduled doubleheaders for rain outs and possible COVID cancellations, to reach 154 games. That said, they can and should do whatever is best to prepare the team for Spring Training, and not stretching pitchers beyond 25 pitches in an inning makes sense for the purpose of these games, which is to get pitchers stretched for the season, get hitters timing back and evaluate a few players. They are not for fans or wagering.

Same if Anderson and Robert get hurt, Still doesn't mean Collins and Lucroy should EVER be in the same lineup together. I do get your point regarding injuries and depth, two of the reasons Eaton and Grandal were not good signings to begin with.

Again, you are going off of the current CBA which expires this year. Players will prioritize this issue and these rules will likely change, rendering bullshit this year irrelevant. A much bigger concern burning 1 or more years of Kopech and Crochet in the bullpen to placate La Russa and cover for the fact the White Sox didn't add to it this off season. Playing service time games during tanking years make sense, putting your best team on the field during "championship seasons" also makes sense. With AAA not starting until May at the earliest, there is no credible development reason to keep Vaughn down. As last year and every year proves, even one game in the standings can mean the difference from a Division Title or Wild Card, or making the playoffs or going home.