LDF

i don't understand, why is Balta fickle??? what is the reason that makes him so?? just wondering.

QUOTE (LVSoxFan @ May 13, 2015 -> 09:31 PM) Awesome post. I concur. I've always said that Wrigley has a built-in crowd of super-casual fans just because of its location and its unique landmark look. Somebody once said to me the Cubs and Sox have the same number of diehards--it's in the casual department that they thrive, because you've got non-baseball fans going, people from out of town who want to see it and a trip to Wrigley isn't a one-destination affair because of all the bars and restaurants and nightlife around the area. But when you go to the Sox game, you're turning around and going home when it's over. Even though it's in a "neighborhood" too, it's not a commercialized one like Wrigleyville, not by a longshot. I always wondered why they didn't build the new park on some lakefront lot where it would have sucked all those tourists right into it as they arrived downtown, but alas: what's done is done. That said, in the end people want to see contenders and let's be honest we haven't looked like ones since first half 2006. 2008 was fun but in reality that season was a contest between us and the Twins to see who could lose the division instead of who could win it which, granted, resulted in the unforgettable blackout game. But also the inevitable first-round exit when playing a real contender, Tampa Bay. So with geography against us I'd say yeah: the way to get people to make the trip to The Cell is to have them want to make that trip to see a contender, because that's the only thing you're marketing. You're not marketing a historic ballpark, or a thriving neighborhood where you can party before and after, easily reachable by el or cab. I think Sox fans are dropping off because how many times have we seen this team in the last few years? And then a new year comes and some allegedly big "splash" moves are made (Adam Dunn, anybody) but yet we get the same result. This year there was all this buzz about how we're now favorites to win the Central, forget the Tigers! Ooops. The same result year after year after year tells me this is systemic and not down to this player or that player. I'd start with KW but you could go as high as Reinsdorf. It may very well be this is the future until the new generation owner takes over--like when Rocky Wirtz took over the Hawks--and reboots the entire organization (which, to their credit, the Cubs have pretty much done). It seems like we constantly put off rebuilding from the ground up because KW each offseason decides why, we can win NOW, if we just acquire THAT player! And then it starts all over again. As for the current attendance, all the above notwithstanding, hey: the weather sucks, the far more popular Hawks and Bulls are in the playoffs so of course nobody's going to miss those games to go freeze at the Cell in 50 degree weather outside--including me. It'll jump in June, like it always does. real nice. why not a new location, i just found out the reason. some one posted that this was the same area of the 1918+ yrs of the white sox - black sox history. moving to the loop will have had that built in fan base. the reason the sox owners haven't been roundly criticize more, b/c the overall fans do like the owners. they help make excuses as i was.... until this yr. i guess i got tired of the same SOP and excuses from the sox fo.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 13, 2015 -> 08:40 PM) The suggestions made for how to save money were: trade Danks (which still doesn't save money if we have to take back an equal bad contract or send money with), let Samardzija walk, which already is likely to happen anyway since I don't see a $140 million payroll next year, or trade Alexei, which leaves Anderson as the likely candidate and actually does make sense. The problem is...it makes little sense to me to have a team with a $115 million payroll and Tim Anderson starting at SS in 2016. He's going to struggle, especially if moved that fast. This is the quandry we've put ourselves in by the bad start this year. The contracts already on the books get more expensive next year. If we're close to the payroll limit this year, and we don't see the kind of revenue growth that we hoped a competitive team would bring...then we're already close to or even over the payroll limit for next year due to the contracts we already have. There's a reason Rick Hahn is bothered enough to start "telling stuff to Robin Ventura", because he's actually overexposed financially for next year and he knows it. They may not want to trade other guys, they may not want to rebuild, but if they remain a sub .500 team, they may not have a choice. So no, that may not be the roster next year, but if "building next years roster" requires "trading Robertson for cheaper guys and going with a weaker bullpen because we don't have funds to spend in FA" or insert whatever other player you want as the hole we need to create...that's a recipe for another losing season. And if that's the case, why are we still holding onto a $115 million payroll? nice..... really nice way of putting it together. nice logic as well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 13, 2015 -> 08:07 PM) Sox haven't done much since winning the WS. They have nobody to blame but themselves. That was the time to take over the city's baseball fortunes. They could have been known as the "good team" in town. Cubs still would be more popular and draw more probably, but Sox had their chance. It's going to take a division title followed by an ensuing season of success to have 30,000 plus regularly. I used to think KC would never draw because of the cost of going to the game but give them one WS and they've already had 5 sellouts. they failed on taking over chi baseball scene thru bad personnel in the fo, and doing as little as you can to max the profit theme. all they needed to do is invest better in the product on the field, break even or loose for 1 yr or 2 and then bring in the profits later.

QUOTE (Buehrlesque @ May 13, 2015 -> 08:02 PM) in 2007 they drew well, b/c of the hangover of the world series win. a direct result in the team winning a championship. the fans don't come out when the sox are trying to put a team out there, imo, most fans don't trust the owners to finish putting out the finish product. to completely fix the team to win, not half way. the fans will spend, and i am going use a number someone else came up with, $$ 40-200 per person, at least how many will be there, 2. now include the traffic, for what, a sub 100 team??? like it or not, the owners need to get on the ball and get in touch with today world of doing business.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 13, 2015 -> 08:02 PM) No, they're making more and more money every year. They're not in debt. They're very much in the black and presumably happy about it. And that's despite ten years of more bad than good. I'm sure they want attendance to increase because it would make them even more in the black. But that's on them. They're a business. "Fan loyalty" at whatever level it's currently at is making them profitable. I don't believe anyone owes them more than that. If they want people to spend $40-200 in their ballpark about ten times a year, then it's on them to make that a worthwhile experience. BRAVO !!!!!

QUOTE (flavum @ May 13, 2015 -> 07:55 PM) So how do we fix this? if this was me, keep Hahn in what he does best as. move kw out. get the ownership who are the presidents to step down and if needed get a family, younger member to run the show. get another baseball person to run the president side of the org. a hard nose smart pres. i think the logistic side of baseball is getting too big. oh btw, change the philosophy of getting the re-threads b/c they are cheaper. then re-audit the team talent and see what is needed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 13, 2015 -> 06:20 PM) We're looking at 3 straight losing seasons and 4/5. We have done nothing better this decade than doing exactly what people say we can't do. You can't make me fear "OMG what will the fan base do if we tear things down and lose every year" when...we're losing every **** year! i really hate to say this, but you do have a good point. but the sox have a great core to build around, with a superstar with a limited expiration date.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ May 13, 2015 -> 06:41 PM) John McDonough is good at his job but being s***ty enough to draft Kane and Toews and then actually drafting them matters far more than anything McDonough has done. haha and with those draft, began the yrs of winning and SC chanpionship. a direct hand to hand result with the idea of getting lucky with top notch FO personnel.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 13, 2015 -> 06:39 PM) So they managed to increase their attendance after a 119 loss season, by 7k a night, with a 72 win team. That is kind of the point. Sox fans are waiting for consecutive playoff teams. Tigers fans showed up for a team that won one less game that we did last year. That is why the Tigers have nicer things than we have, and were able to swing a deal for Miguel Cabrera, and resign him long term, twice. They get resources that our franchise doesn't. again, who are the tigers competing against for the fan base, in baseball???

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ May 13, 2015 -> 06:38 PM) Makes sense. Again, "ballpark experience." It's a holistic thing, and it's part magic, but that's the difference. bars and nightclubs are taking a beating. times have changed.

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ May 13, 2015 -> 06:16 PM) I guess I don't see it this way. I don't think this about commitment. I think it's about the ownership having a product to sell, and if we, the fans, i.e., the consumers, aren't buying it, whose fault is it? And what we are not buying is a team that hardly ever wins anything. I don't have to commit to Jerry Reinsdorf that I'll go sit in his stadium X number of times of year in the hopes that he'll somehow figure out a way to put a consistent winner on the field - which I remind you, he has miserably failed to do for the last 35 years. No, the onus is on him and his management team to put together a product that is worthy of greater support than the mediocre one that has typically been put forward. i have been going and been a loyal sox fan. the problem is, the team, the sox, i do not know if it is by design or what, they are the most charismatic of the 2 teams. how and why, maybe someone who is smarter than I can answer that. but you can not deny they have charisma. second, when Writz died, the hawks went and hired the pr guy from the northside. i saw right there, this guy had his stuff together. then i looked on how the sox really failed in that dept i came to realize, the northsiders hired really top notch pros, not some 2 nd ranked person. i say this for the sox guy, b/c what has he done that was memorable?? so how to over come that..... put a winning product on the field. not a half hearted attempt. so they can sell tickets. the one caveat i read about this in about forbes article on valuation, in that another article, even they stated, they use what they can thru public listing of the money. they are not able to get to the really smart book keeping area that the owners use to hide money. i still say, they have money to invest in players.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 13, 2015 -> 07:22 PM) The 21% K/PA rate is actually OK for where he is in his development, but the nearly complete lack of walks is a red flag for me. i really didn't want to be the first to mention this, but i agree. actually i thought it was a bad sign, period. but he supports that with other hitting tools.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ May 13, 2015 -> 04:12 PM) I wasn't trying to be dismissive in my post. I would have had words with the guy myself but I sure as hell wouldn't get physical. I'm a black man and if put my hands on a white guy, I better make sure he physically started it. All in all, the law will not say "The guy touched the man's mother so he was entitled to physically assault him." I was simply speaking from that perspective. in today's world, esp with how the press will spin doctor anything, esp if it can cause controversy, they will run with it. i say, the defense route, if it happens in the immediate area of you and involve you or family, then make sure it is worth going to jail. but, and i do mean but, do not chase that person, do not grab him and start a altercation, react to physical violence, words is not going to hurt no one. it is not kool spending time in jail. then i tell them, i seen some of these so called tough guys come in and start to cry, when they get locked up. i seen them do that after a day in jail. jail, esp today, is not a sunny resort vacation. only life or family endangerment is worth that gamble. today it doesn't take much to sue someone.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 13, 2015 -> 03:47 PM) Recap posted, sorry again for the delay. Fun facts in there about Peralta's outing. his first 3 batters and then the ump lost count ........... that was priceless. i like to know, how did he talked or asked the managers of both teams??? either way, he won the game. i still think it is funny.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ May 13, 2015 -> 04:23 PM) In terms of catching prospects, what about Illinois catcher Jason Goldstein? He's listed at 6 foot 210 pounds and is catching one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. He's hitting .302 8 HRS 41 RBIs but does have 7 errors... i have been looking into him in the last 2 weeks. that was when many were writing about Jay and the team. i wanted to see who else on the team that might slide into the later rounds. his hit to K's ratio's are not that bad. i can live with a weak avg cat if he can produce in other ways. nice one.

QUOTE (PorkChopExpress @ May 13, 2015 -> 02:29 PM) Uh...hello? Seriously, though, I realize Ozzie wasn't a .200-.220 type hitter, but he wasn't exactly an offensive SS either. His D was the key to his success. And fans and the org loved him. Different times, I know, but I don't see fans or the org having a problem with a D-first SS. That is with the caveat that every other position on the field isn't filled with a D-first player either. One, maybe even two sub-par hitters are OK in a lineup if their defense is saving runs on the other end, but if the rest of the lineup can't hit either, then you need to be looking for good, consistent hitting from whatever position you are filling. That's my opinion anyway. excellent counter. and i am in total agreement to a certain point. i can live with 2 post being D only. SS and Cat. i feel those, beside pitcher are very important, and need the best D. but that is my opinion.

with fan base being equal, the way the blackhawks fans are, well, in hockey, the blackhawks are the only game in town. when nhl was expaning, i think in the beginning of the 80's, there was talk of Milwaukee was in the running, $$ Bill nixed it, he didn't want any team to take from his fan base. in chi, you have 2 teams competing against each other. then there was a peace of some sort in the 90's to max the fan base. in actuality, it was so the sox could try to pick up some fans. but in chi, b/c of the neighborhood location, the sox will, as i said before, be second fiddle.

QUOTE (newbiesoxfan @ May 13, 2015 -> 11:22 AM) Sore back. He'll start later in the week. oops, i missed this. thank for the update. btw, are his coaches or org kool with you posting??

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 12, 2015 -> 09:52 PM) Cabrera's quite possibly another contract that won't be easy to move or will require us eating part of it. And Duke...although perhaps last night was a sign of overuse/familiarity more than an indicator of a particularly worrisome event or trend. Finally, moving Robertson just puts us right back into boom/bust territory again. The scariest problem is there's just way too much uncertainty at C, 3b, 2b and SS for our 2016-2019 cycle. And that's operating under the assumption Eaton, LaRoche, Cabrera and Avi are all solid or above-average over that time frame. Those are all quite challenging positions to fill, especially C and the left side of the infield. the uncertainty should be that wildcard. not b/c of what you posted, but b/c no one knows what will happen not be able to predict or assume anything. i guess i look at it in a more pragmatic way. for me, build or rebuild the farm system. have players at different level in their developmental stages, hopefully 1 will become a good player. by the meaning of different levels, i mean when 1 player leaves thru FA, there will be another one to step in. re the bold, i do not mean to nitpick, or maybe i am misunderstanding this, but those will not be around till 2019, b/c of the length of their contract.

QUOTE (Joshua Strong @ May 13, 2015 -> 05:18 AM) A guy who I liked for a long time is Ryan Mountcastle, he is a SS out of Florida. He is 6'4 190lbs and will either end up at 3B or in the corner outfield as a professional. He has very good bat speed and has a really nice swing from the right side. I hope that the Sox pick him up in the fourth round. yeah i remember mentioning him, b/c of his name. reminds me of the middle ages with the knights and vikings, in the old movies. with that, i am glad you followed him. i don't know anything about him. i will look him up.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 13, 2015 -> 03:33 AM) Justt getting to the playoffs in 2 of 3 seasons feels like a minor miracle. Not expecting a World Series win anytime soon. yeah, you are prob right, i can't help it, i am a greedy bastard!!! give me the WS rings or give me death

QUOTE (WBWSF @ May 13, 2015 -> 04:18 AM) I'LL say it again. Bad teams + bad stadium location + bad stadium upper deck= BAD ATTENDANCE. Considering everything I'm convinced that if the White Sox draw 2 million people a year, they've done well. Anything above 2 million is a bonus. i am with you on the bad location. and you are right about the 2 million. the sox will always be the 2nd fiddle in baseball in chicago, esp in the location they are in. there is no appeal factor there. so win WS's and that can help the attendance. i don't b**** b/c i like to b****, i don't rag on the owners b/c i hate them. well i do when they try to insult my intelligence.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ May 11, 2015 -> 06:19 PM) Adam Darowski @baseballtwit Bartolo Colon has faced 11,957 batters. 29 were heavier than him. All 29 were Dmitri Young. jeez, that was extremely funny. i love it. many many kudos for the person who thought of this.

oh btw, i am hanging up my keyboard and mouse in the ncaa updates. it coming to the end and i am pretty much have an idea on the draft and the players.