KevHead0881

Whoever is right or wrong, its all immaterial. Nobody really looks good in all this. My guess is that we'll have to weather the storm for a few weeks and this will eventually blow over. I'd be willing to bet that Kenny is already regretting that he took this approach. Its a shame it had to get to this, but the good thing is that its the beginning of Spring Training, and as soon as the season starts, the players, Ozzie, KW and the fans won't be thinking about this situation (at least lets hope they're not). Hey, how bout that Rusty Tucker?!?!

QUOTE(White Sox Josh @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 09:08 PM) i agree. I think Kenny has done a fine job as a GM however he needs to shut up. Frank didn't say anything that was that bad to be honest. It was nowhere close to what Magglio said last year. Actually, what Frank and Maggs have said are pretty similar. Both felt disrespected. They both felt their injuries were overblown by the Sox.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 08:54 PM) No, if Kenny wants to spew to Sox management and players about Frank's internal stuff, fine. But when he goes to the press with this, 'Oh he's an ass, trust me,' bulls***, then it better be about something I can see. Because from what I've seen, Kenny's the bigger selfish idiot right now. Then, the main justification he gives is some crap about how he was deeply wounded by Frank's talking about Reinsdorf. Christ, if JR has something to say, let him say it himself. If anything, the talk has been that JR and Frank very much like each other, and I don't think Frank burned any bridges with JR in that interview. So sorry, no, I don't take that sort of stuff on faith. Frank's been a great public citizen for the Sox the last couple of years. In fact, he's won me back after all the whining over the diminished skills clause. Then some mild complaints peppered everywhere with politeness set KW off, and I'm supposed to support KW? No f***ing way. If that the way you feel, thats cool. I'm just saying that it didn't take the latest comments by Kenny to realize that Frank wasn't the greatest teammate. It always seemed to me to be common knowledge. Whether he was a good soldier or not in public really doesn't do much for me. Agree to disagree, I guess.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 08:25 PM) I don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Actually, I don't care one bit. But in public, FT was a pretty good sport the last couple years. He supported Ozzie strongly in 2004, even though there was a lot of talk (apparently correct) that they didn't get along. He said all the right things this year. Of course, I'm sure it's a big open secret on Soxtalk that Frank would kick every puppy in the locker room. Well, if you look at the poll that was just started in a previous thread, most people on here are still quite fond of Frank. Hell, I'm still a fan of his. But its not just a "big open secret" here that Frank was a pain to deal with. Yes, he did handle himself better in recent years. But its still what happens behind closed doors that matters, not what is portrayed through the media. I don't agree with some of the venom being thrown around here, but Frank has kind of dug his own grave when it comes to his reputation as a pain in the ass. And there have been enough clues given from players and management throughout the years to prove this.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 08:15 PM) But, by the same token, let's not make Kenny out to be a saint. He, too, has his share of skeletons. What we have here assembled in 2006 appears to be a completely selfless ball club. I don't quite think this happened by accident. Those that weren't on board with the way this organization was heading are no longer present...not even if you have 450 homeruns. For the record, I've been in the "Kenny shouldn't have said anything" camp all along. But I'm also in the "Kenny appears to have good reason to be pissed" camp as well.

I think some are mistaken by thinking this blowup by KW is just from Frank's recent comments. As far as I can tell, this is an overall backlash at the kind of guy Frank has been since KW has been in charge. I think the recent interview, while not exactly a thrashing of the Sox organization, was just the straw that broke the camels back.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 06:57 PM) Tomorrow Thank god for that! By the way, nice avatar.

While Frank didn't say anything as malicious as what Kenny said, if you read the Southtown article and add it to all the things he's said since he signed with Oakland, he's done a s***load of whining. I think Kenny is just tired of it. And I don't think he's calling him an idiot just based on these recent comments. Its probably just his overall opinion of the man. Kenny makes no secret here that he's been tired of Frank's act for some time. Now, I don't think he should have taken it to the media, but my guess is that KW has good reason to think of Frank as an idiot. Its harsh, but its certainly consistant with what many have thought of Frank throughout his career. When do the f***ing games start?

QUOTE(BamaDoc @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 06:19 PM) You win with class and lose with class. Our organization is now also representing all of baseball as MLB's champion. I am probably in the minority, but I wish Kenny would have responded differently. In public, I wish Kenny would have responded along the lines of "Frank was a great player for us and I hope to be there when he enters the Hall of Fame as a White Sox. Prior to injuries, he was a devastating hitter. We felt we were improving our team and I am sorry he hasn't returned our calls and I will contact him soon." Taking the high road at Sox fest is different than in the national media. I would then have called him and talked to him. I would thank him for his contributions and discuss preliminary plans to honor his contribution to the White Sox when his playing days conclude. If his tone is still negative at the end of the call, I would explain that future comments would be "frank" and only tarnish his image. I hope we move beyond the shoot from the hip one day and apologize the next. Why can't our stars return home and be welcomed ala the Yankees, Dogers, and Cardinals? Fisk, Ventura, and Black Jack should have open invitations to return. I have no problem with Kenny breaking a door in private. While I don't entirely disagree with you, Fisk, Ventura and Black Jack all have open invitations and have been back several times, be it calling ballgames or returning for tributes. And I'm not exactly sure when the Yankees, Dodgers and Cardinals became immune to unhappy ballplayers. They have all the same issues as we do.

Nice work fellas. Looks awesome! One thing, and this isn't a complaint in any way. Any chance we can get a link back to the front page from the forums? It's purely a convenience thing, so its obviously no big deal. For instance, clicking on the banner (like the one currently on the top of the page) will take you directly to the front page instead of the forum listing. Just a suggestion. Either way, it looks fabulous!

Yah, I'm not really concerned with acting like the NE Patriots. Even if we were, it ain't gonna happen with two outspoken guys like Ozzie and Kenny at the helm. And while I would have preferred that Kenny didn't publicly say what he did, overall as an organization, I think we handle ourselves quite well. I wouldn't mind duplicating their championship run, though.

Apparently, Kenny had much more to say on the topic. Here's some quotes from the Trib article... Sox GM: Thomas an idiot And the best quote of all comes from Ozzie:

QUOTE(jphat007 @ Feb 26, 2006 -> 05:19 PM) LOL. Try the next couple of weeks. I think it's hilarious. Helps move along a slow spring training. Plus I'm right with KW. Usually he's like whatever, but he was tired of Frank talking s*** about him and the organization. Like I said, I don't disagree with Kenny. It has to get tiresome listening to somebody question you motives and loyalty. I just think this whole thing could have blown over as nothing more than "Frank Thomas is whining again." Now its gonna turn into an all-out fued between the Sox organization and Frank...something that we could probably do without. Once again, I don't blame KW for being pissed and frustrated. I just don't think this is a necessary course of action.

The funny thing is that Ozzie is the guy who took the high road in all this. Good for him.

While I don't disagree with anything Kenny is saying, he just made this a much bigger deal than it had to be. My guess is that we'll be reading and hearing about this all week.

Players leaving on bad terms isn't some epidemic that only happens to the Sox. Every team deals with this. No player likes to be traded, released, cut, etc. On the surface, its basically being told that you aren't wanted or needed. The difference is, some players handle it better than others. I don't blame Frank for being upset about all this. I just don't like the way he's handling it.

Nope, he's not bitter. I said this when he was here, and I'll say it again. As a fan of the Big Hurt, he sure makes it hard to root for him sometimes. People who constantly complain about being disrespected usually don't deserve respect. Frank has done alot for this organization, and he's been paid handsomely for it. He was my favorite player growing up, and I will continue to root for him. But I have little sympathy for a millionare ballplayer who feels as if he's continually slighted throughout his career and believes he should be treated differently than everybody else.

At long last, the games are about to begin (granted, its only Spring Training, but I'll take anything at the moment). Anyways, here are the scheduled pitchers, per Scott Reifert's blog on whitesox.com. He's also back to daily updates on his blog. Usually good reading... Inside the White Sox

Yah, they got 4 games on WGN. From my understanding, there isn't another team in baseball that broadcasts anywhere near as many ST games as the Sox.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Feb 24, 2006 -> 09:54 PM) My question would be: Why are you suck a f***in idiot? And then he'd respond: "Suck a f***ing idiot?"

I was initially going to pick Buehrle, but I had to go with The Captain.

I liked how he criticized us for over-paying for Konerko, yet he also criticized the Angels for not landing him. This guy is hilarious!

QUOTE(Jordan4life_2006 @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 03:32 PM) True fans are gonna support the members of their team. Think Barry wouldn't be king of Chicago if he was a White Sox or Flub? I think AJ is a good example here. Most Sox fans couldn't stand him when he was with the Twins (I was one of them). And lets be honest, it was for good reason. The guy was an agitator and still is. Thing is, he also plays hard, puts up good numbers and is one of those guys who you love when he's on your side. But either way, performance is usually the determining factor as to how a player is recieved by fans. If Barry Bonds was a crappy ballplayer, even Giants fans would hate him.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 23, 2006 -> 02:28 PM) I love AJ, it still confuses me to how Twins fans could love him, sox fans love him, and Giants fans hated him, yet love Barry Bonds. I think Bonds' record breaking numbers have a little bit to do with it. Fans can be pretty forgiving of players who help them win ballgames. My guess is that if Bonds took his act elsewhere, Giants fans would turn on him pretty quickly.