greg775

Nobody seems to care about the real cause of long games - umpires. In their little wink wink protest of how unfairly they are paid and treated, they won't call the strike zone. Can you imagine if they actually called a pitch just above the belt a strike? The games would speed up noticeably. But they won't do it so that's that. Also, the ridiculous specialization in terms of relief pitching has extended the games and turned the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings into a game of its own and a very boring one at that. When Cleveland starts playing the lefty/righty shenanigans in the sixth or seventh inning you know boredom has set in. I don't know how to cure this problem but it slows games to an unwatchable halt in the final 3-4 innings. And finally, the ridiculous stepping out of the box to re-strap one's batting gloves and to take practice hacks wastes so much time. Hitters were supposed to stay in the box last season but umps won't enforce it so you get the boring stepping out of the box every pitch to re-velcro ones hitting gloves. I love Paul Konerko but he was about the worst fidgeting with his gloves outside the box. Baseball has a serious problem with length of games. I wonder if any kids have any interest in going to games anymore with their attention spans so limited. Games should be two hours 30 minutes max. But the umpires have no interest in making that happen.

QUOTE (JUSTgottaBELIEVE @ Feb 20, 2017 -> 06:02 PM) After the Sale and Eaton trades, I'm glad they didn't add any offense via FA this winter. I hope they do the same next offseason. This team is at least 2-3 years away from competing so might as well save that $ for when it is really needed like two winters from now. At some point, they do need to unload Q, Jones, and Robertson for position player prospects though. While it may be realistic to sign two players like Brian Dozier and Wilson Ramos two years from now, they are going to need a lot more than that to compete even if guys like Anderson, Collins, and Moncada are contributing. Save that money?? The White Sox?? I think they will enjoy the low payroll. Hopefully the fans won't come and won't buy any merchanidise and speed the rebuild which IMO is off to a slow slow start.

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 20, 2017 -> 05:54 PM) In my forty fifty sixty years in the game, I have never seen a better collection of young impact arms. Not just arms...impact arms Stoney. Hope they perform well. I know we also have some horrible arms in Shields and Holland and many relievers.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Feb 20, 2017 -> 09:09 PM) Hi Gregg. I guess I am a realist too. The team ownership made a decision and I can't do anything about that except accept. We got some great prospects back and maybe there will be some more. I would like to see some free agent signings to help in the OF and catcher. It will be an interesting season I don't understand them conceding by having no catcher and no DH/outfielder of note. If you are going to keep all the veterans they are keeping, might as well try to compete til the all star break. They're too cheap, however. Won't spend any cash at all. Embarrassing IMO.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 18, 2017 -> 06:02 AM) Hawk f***ing loves minor leaguers. I guess he'll spend most of the games telling stories about the past and commenting on the minor leaguers then. I always thought he hated the idea of broadcasting horrific baseball.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Feb 19, 2017 -> 02:43 AM) Heard Scott Snodgrass may be returning on a minors contract Elrockin, how u handling the rebuild? You don't seem like a rebuild kinda guy. You like me want to win all games.

I really wanna know how Hawk handles the rebuild/s***ty teams the next three years. Doing only road games, he's going to be broadcasting probably 7 losses every 10 games. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who is interested in following daily progress of minor leaguers. The guy played in the bigs for 20 seasons. He doesn't give a flip about minor league baseball is my guess.

QUOTE (WBWSF @ Feb 17, 2017 -> 01:10 AM) I unfortunately agree with you. I see years of bad White Sox baseball ahead of us. My hope is that JR sells the team soon, hopefully after the 2017 season. Please, please JR, sell the team. QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 17, 2017 -> 03:29 AM) it is indeed happening. Like it or not. I don't like it at all. OK we've made two trades and made what could be a steal in Zach Duke for Tilson. But that's it. Pretty lame beginning to a rebuild when we still have all these veterans. My point is if we've got all these veterans, if the Sox weren't so cheap they'd have acquired a catcher (one is still available) and an outfielder and DH and a reliable seventh inning guy and we'd win the crappy AL Central. We could still rebuild while doing so. Why? Well we're not gonna trade Frazier now in his last year of contract and ditto Melky last year. If Rodon has an excellent year we have a great 1-2 punch in Q and Rodon. QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 17, 2017 -> 07:12 PM) Great points and I agree. The Sox have already established a very solid foundation for this rebuild. Sox fans just need to have some patience and perhaps a bit of faith in Hahn. Clearly this rebuild is Hahn's baby so let's give him a chance to see what more he can do. Personally, I like what he's done so far despite the trade returns bringing back more pitching than hitting. Everybody's assuming our rebuild will be as successful as the Cubs' was. We shall see.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 17, 2017 -> 02:29 AM) Frazier, Melky and Lawrie have literally no trade market and there's limited interest in Robertson at this point. According to rumors teams haven't offered enough for Q just yet. Keeping Abreu is a good idea so I wouldn't expect him traded unless a team over pays in Juky. No team has rebuilt their team in just one off season so what do you expect? Look how long it took the cubs and Astros to rebuild their organizations. If this is not a rebuild then why haven't the Sox signed any free agents to help contend and if they are trying to contend why trade Eaton and Sale? It's no secret the Sox need outfielders and yet they did not sign or trade for any despite the market being flooded with available outfielders, especially the trade market. There's no grand conspiracy here, just the beginning of a rebuild. The Sox themselves are calling it a rebuild. Not sure why some have a such hard time grasping the rebuild concept but it is indeed happening. Like it or not. They admitted they knew last year they were going to rebuild and the 23-10 start was a fluke. They had prime chances to trade guys before the all star break. They had all offseason. I personally would have preferred trying to win again with Sale leading our rotation and making some $mart baseball moves like acquiring some relievers who can get people out and getting a DH who can hit the ball over the fence and a catcher. So we have Robin for manager forever and let him try to win with real players. Now we finally get rid of him and we're in some sort of "rebuild" that isn't even 1/3 of the way underway. There's no reason to give at bats to Frazier, Melky, Lawrie or pitch Robertson in a rebuild. Maybe our franchise will be dominant in 3 years. We shall see I guess.

QUOTE (BlackSox13 @ Feb 16, 2017 -> 07:27 PM) Correct me if I'm wrong but we're you one of the posters who wanted to blow it all up and start trading players? I dunno, but what they are doing is ridiculous. They traded 2 guys. What kind of rebuild is that? I want to win over anything else now, but if not, get the rebuild going. I don't see the rebuild that many of you see. I see 5-8 years of pathetic baseball ahead.

To all of you who are about to embrace losing every game possible. My question to you is: How many years of losing are you looking forward to? Four minimum? Five? Six? Also, you are trusting in our front office to pick the right young guys to acquire? This is the same front office allegedly in a rebuild that still has a TON of veterans on the team in Melky, Frazier, Lawrie, Quintana, Robertson. Have fun. I have a feeling our fanbase is about to shrink to 10,000 fans max in a big city like Chicago after 2-3 years of 60-70 wins.

This was a good line in the story: "And make no mistake, Chicago has the money. After running payrolls of $118 million and $114 million in 2015 and 2016, the White Sox are set to come in at around $92 million this year. That’s “Matt Wieters pillow contract” money or “eat the last year of Melvin Upton’s contract” money. And all it would require is the will to do so."

QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 09:47 PM) This is why most teams are hesitant to do rebuilds. If fans that follows message boards have lost interest, what do you suppose the average fan is thinking? The average fan just won't pay attention at all. Some will hop on the Cubs bandwagon which has to be awfully easy to do if you are not a diehard like us. QUOTE (ChiSox59 @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 10:26 PM) I am in the same boat. I have never been less interested in a White Sox club. Me too. The funny thing is if we had a catcher, one top notch outfielder and a decent DH and were able to splice together a good bullpen leading up to Robertson, we might be a contender. I feel like we could have acquired those pieces possibly. QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 10:33 PM) For those not at all interested in the Sox right now, what exactly was interesting about the same 78 win team year in and year out that the Sox have had the past few years? The idea that we were a possible contender. The analysts usually had us projected to be in the race. QUOTE (hi8is @ Feb 15, 2017 -> 04:53 PM) I think it'll be fun to watch games this year... if they lose, cool! If someone like Davidson blows chunks - oh well... if he does great, cool! Rooting for players who are trade candidates will be a thing and following all the affiliates will be intense. Following the international signing period, the draft, other teams top prospects performances, monitoring trade partners standings... it'll be a much different type of fandom but it'll be lit. Some people love rebuilds. Like you said the pressure is off as the team loses game after game. It must be like being a 76er fan.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 10:42 PM) The republicans control both the House and Senate so there's almost no chance that they'd initiate it. How do you not know this? How do I not know this? 70 percent of all Americans can't identify all the states on the map. 70 percent of All Americans can't identify various countries on a map. A majority of people read at a fifth grade level. I never said I was Einstein. Most Americans don't know squat about the House and Senate. I never said I was a genius re. all topics.

So who is gonna do well in the state playoffs this year? Any favorites? I see Bro Rice had a very nice season. I've watched some games and can't imagine them going far though. Put a box and one on the two studs.

Nice trailer. Should be a great show.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 03:09 PM) If? Then why haven't they started formal impeachment proceedings? Get on with it.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Feb 14, 2017 -> 03:20 AM) What would Trump have to do to blow that "chance" you're giving him? Because he's already violated the constitution at LEAST a dozen times. If that's true and they are impeachable offenses I'm all for impeachment.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 09:58 PM) No, that is not the correct thread to post (again) about how much you don't like Clinton either! She's still a Democrat. I guess I am a failure at board decorum.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 09:56 PM) Hi, please check the name of the thread you're posting in, if you want to whine about Clinton maybe try starting a new thread or something? Oops I could have put it in the Democrat thread I guess. But I started in here praising Brett.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 09:54 PM) You forgot to add a random question to the board about Chelsea Clinton and also remind everyone that you didn't vote for either of the 2 major candidates. I feel I have to remind people because I get lumped in with Trump lovers. I'm just giving him a chance unlike many on the board. We couldn't even have a nice thread wishing him the best after the election. There's no reason for me to want Trump to fail.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 09:44 PM) There is actually no way for history to prove you right that Hillary Clinton would have been a poor President because, well, she's not the President. If Donald Trump is a disaster for his entire term, there will be no evidence as to whether a Clinton presidency would have been better or worse because she is not the President. As an aside, Greg, I think we all need to have a discussion about the difference between "editorials," and reporting based on facts. Like, that Yahoo article is an editorial - meaning that it's just one man's opinion. Most of the reporting on the Trump administration thus far that has people worried is based on fact (his lies about voter fraud and the murder rate, using the Presidency to urge people to buy his daughter's products, doubling the fee to join Mar-a-Lago, conducting a foreign policy strategy session in the middle of a restaurant for anybody to see, etc.). Finally, why do you think Jesse Ventura would be a good President? I have literally no idea why an XFL documentary would make you want a Ventura presidency... You said: There is actually no way for history to prove you right that Hillary Clinton would have been a poor President because, well, she's not the President. If Donald Trump is a disaster for his entire term, there will be no evidence as to whether a Clinton presidency would have been better or worse because she is not the President. I say: I guess you are right that there is no absolute proof. You said: As an aside, Greg, I think we all need to have a discussion about the difference between "editorials," and reporting based on facts. Like, that Yahoo article is an editorial - meaning that it's just one man's opinion. Most of the reporting on the Trump administration thus far that has people worried is based on fact (his lies about voter fraud and the murder rate, using the Presidency to urge people to buy his daughter's products, doubling the fee to join Mar-a-Lago, conducting a foreign policy strategy session in the middle of a restaurant for anybody to see, etc.). I said: Yes that was an opinion piece. But remember there's no reason to bring Trump into any discussions with me. I'm not a fan and I didn't vote for him either. I think he's too much a 1 percenter to care about me or the middle class much. You said: Finally, why do you think Jesse Ventura would be a good President? I have literally no idea why an XFL documentary would make you want a Ventura presidency... I said: Well, he was loved in Minnesota and I've watched long interviews with him and I like his style. I guess some of his positions are very radical but I feel like he genuinely cares about people. I could be wrong but this is a world of style over substance and I like his style. He's convinced me he's good, not evil. Maybe it's too strong to say Trump and Hillary are evil, but I feel like they are not good for the average American.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 08:26 PM) Do you have a link? I just searched yahoo and couldn't find it It was on yahoo but I guess FOX News wrote it http://nation.foxnews.com/2017/02/13/goodw...e-lost-election

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 13, 2017 -> 09:11 PM) You're right, the "uniformed, head in the sand" role was left vacant for a while, but Brett has some mighty big shoes to fill. Did u read that story on yahoo front page reminding us why it's good Hillary isn't president? My head may be in the sand, but ultimately I think history will prove I was right about voting for neither. After watching XFL 30 on 30 ESPN last night I still love Jesse Ventura.

This guy would be an amazing signing. Why don't the Sox do it and finally get a catcher.