77 Hitmen

Until I see even the slightest hint of any meaningful change in the way this organization operates and until they start holding people in the organization accountable for incompetency, I remain unconvinced that Ishbia has much of a say in how this team operates with the exception of getting a new stadium built. I mean, I share in the bewilderment that he's content in letting his ~$2B investment continue to rot, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that JR is taking any direction from him.

I'm not sure what the TLR emoji is supposed to represent, but I used it on your post only because he's the guy Jerry insisted on hiring instead of a competent manager such as Hinch.

Getzy's boys just can't hit!

It does make one wonder what Ishbia thinks watching his future investment being run so badly into the ground while he has to wait up to 8 more years before he can take control. But, we all know that JR wants to do things his way and he's not going to have someone second-guessing him while he's in charge. If Ishbia starting making demands about personnel changes, I suppose Jerry could just scuttle the deal since we've seen how he treats people who undercut him. It must be maddening for the Ishbia brothers as each year of this nonsense further damages the White Sox brand, but this is their ticket to owning a MLB franchise in the 3rd largest market and they're not going to undercut JR by leaning on him to replace personnel like the GM or manager. My guess is that Ishbia's sole focus right now is getting a new stadium and stadium district at the 78/Amtrak Yard financed and built and he'll have to wait until at least 2029 to clean house.

In interviews last fall, Ishbia made clear that JR is in charge and that he's not involved in or second-guessing operations of the team. I can only imagine that doesn't extend to a long-term issue like getting a new stadium designed and built, but as much as I'd like to see some house cleaning leading to more competent leadership asap, I just don't see that happening until at least 2029.

Marc Ganis. That's interesting. Welch's district isn't within the city limits, so I wouldn't expect him to be part of a "Chicago-or-nothing" group of Chicago Reps. News reports from the last day or two suggest that lawmakers are optimistic in getting a "mega projects" bill completed. Rep. Kam Buckner says he's very optimistic and that they've been working with some GOP reps (namely Rep. Brad Stephens) too. https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/bears-stadium-search-lawmaker-anticipates-amended-megaprojects-bill-soon/3923467/ https://wgntv.com/sports/state-rep-looks-to-drum-up-gop-support-to-help-keep-bears-in-illinois/

A new Royals stadium in downtown KC takes another step forward. https://fox4kc.com/sports/royals/royals-move-downtown-takes-a-step-forward/

The Penners are buying 40% of the team, but it's still a minority share and the Monfort brothers will still have control of the team, so it doesn't sound like any changes in the way the team is being operated. You do have to wonder if there is a plan to eventually sell control of the team to the Penner family. What I find interesting is that the Rockies, who play in a popular ballpark and always draw well, also have debt that needed to be addressed by selling a stake in the team just like with the Twins and White Sox. Again, it doesn't sound like accounting tricks to me if they need to bring in new owners to pay off debt.

The Sox would just flip him in a couple of years for some prospects that might pan out.

The owners of the Denver Broncos, Greg and Carrie Walton Penner, are buying a 40% stake in the Colorado Rockies. Here's an interesting excerpt from the article. Apparently the Rockies had outstanding debt they were looking to retire. Sounds similar to the situation with the Twins and White Sox. The Rockies said the investment allows the club to "retire all outstanding debt" in addition to providing an enhanced experience at Coors Field. ESPN.comBroncos owners purchase around 40% of Rockies, per reportsThe Rockies are bringing in Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner through a minority investment, with multiple reports saying they are purchasing about 40% of the team.

As much as I want Jerry to hand over the reigns to Ishbia asap and not wait until 2029-2034, at this point it makes sense to hold off on that until at least after the upcoming labor dispute is settled.

This is an interesting look at why teams are rethinking upper decks at stadiums. Sports Business JournalThe future of the cheap seats: Why teams are rethinking u...Upper deck seats, often seen as an entry point for teams to create lifelong fans, are under the microscope as stadium costs rise and premium experiences make more money.

We Sox fans live in a combination of April Fools Day and Groundhog Day.

Pride and ego that has blinded him to the reality that this organization has become a total train wreck over the last 10-15 years under his leadership. Dead last in revenue in the MLB and two years in a row of decline in franchise valuation when everyone else is going up in value (some franchises significantly going up). He's either oblivious to this franchise's problems or just doesn't care. Firing Getz would likely mean some equally inept loyalist would take his place - probably with TLR involved in the selection process. Hey, he moved Hawk from the broadcast booth to GM once, maybe next time he can do the same with Schriffen!

Months and months of hyperventilating over Ishbia's supposed nefarious plans to treat the Sox as another private equity venture that he can suck dry. Curse him and the Ishbia brothers' billions in wealth! Plus months and months of hyperventilating over JR's and Ishbia's obvious plans for a new stadium at the 78. Oh why oh why can't the Sox keep the status quo and maintain for decades to come what we've experienced under Jerry Reinsdorf's stewardship and at a ballpark and location that has been problematic for many decades? I have found the ignore feature on this site to be a very useful tool to block out the incessant nonsense.

One can only hope. But Jerry has been telling friends he wants to keep doing this until he's 99. Under the franchise sale agreement, Ishbia can't exercise his option to buy until 2034, when JR is 98.

I don't think you're alone in feeling this way. This is what's most concerning about this franchise - JR, through his incompetence, has driven away a significant number of life-long fans and killed interest in the team for many of the next generation. It's going to be hard to bring these people back and just getting good enough again to make it to the first round of the playoffs once in a while isn't going to be enough to turn things around and bring fans back. The good news is that, at age 57, you and your son should outlast Jerry Reinsdorf by several decades and he has a deep-pocketed billionaire lined up to take ownership of the team. We can only hope that the Ishbias will finally turn this franchise around in a meaningful way. Yeah, I know some Sox fans are convinced that Justin Ishbia is going to be just as bad as JR, if not worse, and that fans will simply turn on him too. I dunno, I guess anything is possible. IMO, I would just stop being a fan altogether if I thought this franchise is that doomed such that we'll see this same level of soul-sucking incompetence from the next owner.

Block Club ChicagoTwo Stadiums In The South Loop? Neighbors Weigh In On Pro...SOUTH LOOP — With the possibility of the 14th Street Railyard becoming the future home of the White Sox, some South Loop residents are cautiously

Wow - bad day for baseball player collisions. https://www.mlb.com/news/parker-meadows-and-riley-greene-collision

I don't mean to defend Jerry Reinsdorf in any way, but my understanding is that he's a billionaire mostly because of illiquid assets that he has, including the White Sox, Bulls, and part of the United Center. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm sure he lives a comfortable luxurious life and is far from broke and his children are surely set for life. But it's not like he has $1B sitting around ready to be cashed. If he did, he wouldn't have to pull in Ishbia right now to pay off their existing debt. The team is dead last in revenue (thanks to his poor stewardship) and he's going to spend on the franchise accordingly. I just wish he'd decide age 90 is a good time to retire and just sell controlling interest to the team to the Ishbias as soon as the labor issue is settled instead of 2029 at the earliest.

Since we're making Mr. Burns posts here. Monty himself has your answer:

Yes, it was a perfect storm of financial hits. Many of this problems were self-inflicted but others (Covid, the collapse of the RSN gravy train) were out of their control. The team completed a rebuild just in time for attendance to be shutdown and then restricted due to Covid and then when things got back to normal, the rebuild utterly collapsed. The timing of if all couldn't have been any worse. The fact that Jerry was able to lock in Ishbia as the next team owner before he went ahead and bought the Twins might turn out to be one of the best moves he's made for the Sox franchise in at least a couple of decades. The Ishbia brothers have the liquidity that JR doesn't and they can do things like pay off that debt, bankroll a new ballpark, and get this franchise out of its death spiral. It's too bad this might have to drag out another 8 years, but better late than never. At least it doesn't look like Ishbia will be totally sitting on the sidelines for the next 3-8 years as shown by his intent to buy that Amtrak yard across the river from the 78.

I wonder what Ishbia is personally thinking knowing that this is his future franchise, but it continues to be run into the ground and Jerry holds the option to sell for another 8 years. Obviously he knew what he was agreeing to when he made the deal with JR last year, but it must be maddening to know he might have to sit on the sidelines until as late as 2034 and watch this unacceptable level of incompetence.

Another great Getz accomplishment is being such a great company man that Jerry let him fail upwards to the GM position.