JoeC

Yeah. It was worth it in 2020 and 2021.

You can pretty easily circumvent blackout rules by VPNing to a different location. Just don't let it be Iowa, where you're basically blacked out from 1/2 of all games at any given time.

They're the 2000's era Detroit Lions.

This is correct. I can't watch the Sox when they play in Detroit. (caveat: I gave up my MLB.TV subscription after the 2023 season and the Getz hiring)

Or did they just stop paying attention and kept forgetting to turn off the feed after the game ended? Both are equally likely.

I would love: 1. For the Sox to be good 2. To be able to pay a fee to stream all Sox games, regardless of where they are, regardless of what network they're on, regardless of where I am.

The one area that Getz seems to be competent is in making personnel hires. I don't have high expectations, but I'm less frightened by the idea that Getz would pick his own guy.

We'll never know, of course, but I'm of the opinion that the regression would have been less severe.

Yeah, Ricky definitely had his flaws, but I'm of the opinion that the team in 2022 (and 2023) would have been in much better shape had Ricky been in charge in 2021 rather than TLR.

The 2025 staff shouldn't be focused on wins and losses so much as an extension of player development. I'm still a firm believer that, when TLR came on board, all player discipline went out the window with regards to professional mentality. The clubhouse was basically turned over to the players, and their natural laziness and personalities took over. The team needed Ricky, or someone similar, for one more year to teach the young kids what it actually means to be a big leaguer. It seems like the previous core didn't have that.

I would not want to hire anyone dumb enough to take on this job.

An actual GM would have been nice a little over a year ago, but JR blew that one.

I’m going to go out on a crazy limb and predict that Michael Jordan buys the Sox. Has money? Check. Ties to the organization? Check Completely illogical and unrealistic, but that’s my prediction.

They DO pay for top talent. …. just never in their prime.

I guess my post isn't really directed at the insanity of the situation (where they've effectively implemented a blackout over a significant portion of the local market), but rather at the posters who are diving into personal attacks on each other over their choice of streaming, antenna, set top box, or whatever. It kind of blows my mind that people get worked up over things that don't affect them.

I'm trying to figure out what's so hard to understand that people have different preferences as consumers. Some people prefer to go exclusively with cable or satellite. Some people prefer to go exclusively web-based. Some people don't have a problem watching things with an over-the-air antenna. Some people don't have a problem VPNing and watching pirated broadcasts. I'm not sure why people get angry at other people's preferences for how to watch baseball. Can someone please explain this anger to me, logically?

The most additional benefit Sox could have expected out of Rodon was a draft pick from the QO they didn’t issue.

Sounds like the perfect “Overton Window Hire” to prepare for the return of Ozzie.

If some magical poster were to visit Soxtalk in 2016 and tell everyone "don't worry - by 2023, the Sox will have both Moncada AND Benintendi locked into long-term contracts on the same team coming off of playoff appearances in 2 of the past 3 seasons," what would the reaction have been?

Yes. At this rate, the Dodgers will win the WS thanks in large part to Getz trades.

My Gawd this is a depressing thread. Because so many of us were being so pessimistic.... but not pessimistic enough.

Really going out on a limb there, eh?

If they build in any of the suburbs, their sponsorship money from the Village of Bedford Park would dry up. Also, what do you think the urban fans would do? How would they get to the games? By having the stadium in the city, you open doors for people without access to cars to get to the games. The 78 would be developed as a destination in and of itself. There'd be more than just a ballgame / ballpark there. A suburban stadium would just be an island. You go to the game, then you head home. That's not how the game is marketed anymore.

We haven't forgotten how bad he was in player development, but he's just made so many bad moves as a GM that it's overshadowing his bad past job.

@Melton1972 they were talking about contracting the Twins.