greg775

This board has long been very very tolerant of the owners and the front office types. The first majority rebellion has been caused by this winter's fake pursuit of Manny. People are pissed. Strangely enough I don't care a bit about Manny. I am way more mad about the tanking, the letting go of Avi and Davidson, the acquisition of John Jay and Alonso for gosh sakes. And of course the fact I feel we have a worst team than last year even and the rebuild is looking meh.

This is wrong. Sox fans have frustrated me during the rebuild by NOT wanting the front office to spend money. They made the one exception for Manny and to a lesser extent Harper. Aside from them, any sign of the Sox paying for a player has been met with scorn. They were OK with Jay and Alonso at first as it was a ploy to get Manny. Now they're not happy about paying them anything. But unless it's an obvious deal where we are to flip the player ... Sox fans don't want us spending any money at all except for the few whales.

Me too. I was a huge Davidson fan. And he's gone. And a huge Avi fan. He gone. The replacements sicken me. It's time to get rid of Hahn and Kenny. Let somebody else draft our next two top five picks. And let somebody else figure out how to get the Sox over .500.

I love the Chicago cops work in trying to get to the bottom of this. But now TMZ is keeping the story alive by saying the check was for personal trainer services. Smollett was trying to get buffed for his role. I may be a dolt and a jerk in many's eyes but I do not rush to judgment. Why can't people just let these stories play out? A lot of people first supported Jussie on this and then turned on him big time. Now with there being a reasonable doubt about the purpose of the check, what are they going to do? Say 'my bad' again and support Jussie? Our rush to judgment either way is sickening in our country right now. Let the facts play out. Geez. That said I still think Chicago cops are badasses in a good way.

Just say no to spam I mean Span. No disrespect to the guy, I just don't want to watch him play for the sox.

It really is disgusting all these veteran stiffs he's bringing in. Acquiring Jay and Alonso is a fireable offense, it really is. Also the Davidson/Avi situation. Why have these guys as long as we had them and just dump them. They are big leaguers and were not blocking anybody.

I just don't understand how Jay and Alonso fit in the rebuild. I mean both are veterans and average at best. Why do we want to give them at bats? Would SD take Alonso off our hands?

Jon Jay is so bad of a hitter I can't even comment. Royals fans danced in the streets when he left the club. Please dump him ASAP. There's no reason to have Alonso around, none. The least the Sox could do is dump both.

That's the only reason I would be moderately mad at the front office. The Sox acted sort of cocky in letting fans have the continuing fantasy we might get MM. Then as far as Harper, with a chance to maybe swoop in and steal Harper from everybody, it's anticlimactic with the Sox just fading away like they never really wanted him or something. Again, I didn't really want Manny but if I were to be mad about anything I agree the FO kind of fibbed about really wanting Manny.

Not sure if this is the right thread, but as far as who is available in 2020 ... This might be the right time to fire Hahn and KW if that's the way the Sox want to go. Why? This year we get a top draft pick again and frankly, I expect us to be one of the three worst teams in baseball again this season. Only way to avoid that I guess is Eloy Eloy Eloy. So we are gonna have a top five pick in the summer of 2020. If we're gonna have somebody else finish the rebuild, you are talking a great draft pick this summer followed by another great pick next summer. Our payroll is very very very low so the new GM could be in charge of signing the veteran free agents expected to put us over the top. Why have Hahn and KW continue when these next two draft picks could be VITAL and we still haven't started our signing of mega free agents. GO SOX!

I agree with all of this. I never thought Sox would move but ... everything you wrote seems right on, spot on.

So far it's our worst offseason ever because the only useful pieces added to a very very bad baseball team are pitchers like Nova and Herrera and some of those bullpen guys. Adding McCann, Alonso and Jay makes me very sad, if not mad. These are guys you just don't need to see play for your favorite team.

It really would be smart/nice to trade Alonso to SD right now for some minor prospect and trade John Jay to SD if they'd even take him for future considerations. I mean seriously. Having them here will be good for nobody. Negative vibes each and every time they step to the plate. Is there any way we could deal them or am I dreaming?

One way to rebel would be to draw 10,000 on opening day. That's the one day the outrage would be noticed (unless there's snow/ice/misery in the atmosphere). That would be way better than a newspaper ad that Cub fans would cherish.

I know winning cures everything and they are banking on the fact (probably) that in 2020 the Sox will likely begin a run of contention and all will be fine. But ... I feel like we've been awful so long that unless there's total Eloy-mania starting with his first at bat, the losing has been so constant that this year will truly be a setback for the Sox in all areas. I truly believe Eloy-mania will save interest and our attendance and relevance won't be much worse than last season, but .... the Sox are close to the point they need to do something dramatic for the fans, hence my free parking suggestion. I'm probably totally full of it, front office probably doesn't care at all. They are saving as much $$ as they can during the rebuild. Starting next year they feel the park will be packed for our division title team and they will be more aggressive in signing free agents.

I think if I were a talk show host I'd take the angle of "were the Sox ever really that serious about signing Manny or Harper?" They provided some hints that they were, but proof is in the pudding and the way this thing ended was awfully anticlimactic.

I haven't been reading much about Harper. But after the Padres allegedly swept in and nabbed Manny late, why don't the Sox who have a low low payroll, swoop in and do the same in the Harper sweepstakes? While I still am not mad we lost out on Manny, the devil's advocate of my emotions wonders if this was a ploy all along to occupy our fans' minds all winter (re. Manny and Harper), say 'ah shucks we didn't get either' and now we go ahead and play the season with a ridiculously low payroll and Jerry and the partners laughing all the way to the bank (i.e. 'if we gotta stink we might as well make a lot of dough') I still say: "The Anger Will Pass" should be team motto this year. But if the Sox do have a 50 million buck payroll and are out of it in mid May again, it'd be nice to give some of that money back to the fans. How bout free parking this season??

My new motto: This anger will pass. Trust greg (who is also mad: Alonso/Jay).

I respect you BA but don't do it. Don't give Cub fans the satisfaction we are mad at our team. This anger will pass (Eloy).

Actually you are wrong. In those "mediocre" years that I'm supposed to be ashamed at myself for wanting (in my way of building a team, not by tanking) we won a lot of games in a lot of consecutive years. The Sox only during this current stretch have really been pathetic. Not since the Bill Melton 70s have we been this bad. But during my "mediocre" years, we won a lotta games with Robin, Hurt, Ozzeroo, Buehrle, Paulie, Dye, et. all.

Off topic, but you did pick a nice city at least. My young nephew attorney moved his fam to Nashville and they love it and it is known as a growing, great city. CWS ... don't worry about not getting one player. Just as one player alone didn't ruin Ozzie's Sunday lineups (it took 3-5 of them) one player will not determine the success of our rebuild. Trust Greg ... Manny isn't worth the angst.

I hear you loud and clear. Please read my post on my take on Manny in the "moving out of town to Nashville" thread. Thank u.

Didn't know which thread to put my thoughts. Don't move to Nashville over this. It's just one ballplayer. FIRST MEA CULPA: Nobody probably remembers, but I thought all along we'd get Manny. Why? I could not fathom not getting him if we signed John Jay and Alonso, two horrific players. I think Avi is way better than those two but that's a different day. I was convinced in my mind we were going to get him at 8 years but I was hoping for 7. I figured the reports were correct at about an average of 30 million a year. I wasn't trolling. I thought we'd get him. I figured with similar $$s he'd appreciate us signing his brother in law and pal John Jay and would wear the Sox colors. SECOND, REALITY BITES: Deep down I thought the NYY might swoop in and steal Manny. Little surprised it's SD but so be it. THIRD, DON'T JUMP OFF THE LEDGE: He's one ballplayer. He'll get very little publicity in San Diego since they aren't ready to win anything. I wish Manny good health, I do, but if we're going by SIMPLE ODDS, the odds say in the next 10 years he will get injured, he will have some lousy years. He could pull a Pujols and look old before his time. Odds are in a few years we'll be talking how SD has this "bad contract." Remember Manny can opt out in five years, but if he wants to keep making this money, the Pods can't opt out. Call me a troll, but TRUTHFULLY I'm more upset I have to watch Jay and Alonso on my mlb.com than not getting to watch Manny. Eloy is going to make you all very very happy this season, folks. Don't worry. Be happy. FINALLY: Am I mad at all? Well, I'll be happy if we get Harper (I wanted him more than Manny), but am I mad at the front office? No. I probably should be mad because today's quotes that we couldn't afford him seem bogus to come out now and not weeks ago (when some fans were buying season tix for Xmas gifts). But I can not be mad at the Sox failing to land ONE PLAYER. And this is a player whose behavior has angered me in the past. I am upset that our team is projected to blow chunks again this season, but IMO it's more because of starting pitching. And yes our lineup will be missing the big bat that Manny allegedly would have provided. IS GREG UPSET?: Not over this. He's one player, folks. Stuff happens. And you wait and see. Manny will be a horrific contract for the Pods in a few years. GO SOX! Manny ... enjoy playing in SD where you won't be getting much attention nationally.

I'm not devastated. Hang in there, Sox fans.

But comment on my list. Those guys IMO woulda been good. Right now even if we add Manny we don't have the starting pitching.