Chisoxfn

Wait - he did this 2 years ago - you really think he did that 2 years ago purely so he could get a job with the White Sox or someone else 2 years later. This would seem pretty genuine. TLR was a freaking ambassador for the Angels - I don't really think he was that focused on managing his brand at that time.

Texas has gotten a lot of people from California - not sure if it is the red people from CA fleeing the state or more blue (I assume more has to do with the businesses leaving and the people following their jobs, but wouldn't that be a shock if their aggressive tactics to steal from more blue states, politically ended up turning their state blue. Hadn't thought of it that way.

This we agree on - that was the exact reaction anyone should have after that.

Probably one where you are staring down a pitcher because you are mad or doing something really just to piss the other team off - nothing jumps off the top of my head, but we've certainly seen it done. Whether you call that a "celebration" or not, heck if I know.

This might be the best post i've seen in the history of Soxtalk. I LOL'd at what you did. I hope I don't see that exact same comments next week though.

Well - for one he used experiments around moving the pitcher out of the 9 hole - because he didn't think the data would make sense that you want your worst hitter being transitioned to the best part of your lineup, that your run production might be better off with the pitcher hitting 8 so that you had a more likely transition to your best batters. I don't know whether it was right or not - but that wasn't just a pure gut decision.

I say the inverse back to you - you base all of your points on 1 quote vs. his entire track record of being an extremely innovative manager. He was known for pushing the limits and coming up with unique decisions. So no - I'm not going to jump to a conclusion because of one freaking quote. I am sure if we looked at any of us - we have all had 1000's of quotes that were either misinterpreted, incorrect, or maybe just we no longer agree with them. I may look back a 1 year from now and go - wow you were all right, he really is all those things you said. I'm just stating - I don't freaking know and I don't think anyone on here having an epic tantrum really knows. They are literally looking for any little thing they can point to to cry wolf, while ignoring a sample size of a HOF career. I'm just saying R-E-L-A-X people - this is not the deal that it is being made to believe it is on Soxtalk. And I have said a million times over - I personally wouldn't have hired him, but I don't think it is the worst move of the last 50 years or anything crazy like that.

Yeah - your own personal classification of Tony - who you have never met, who you don't know, etc. You take a few quotes over his entire lifetime and have now reached your own 100% fact based conclusion. Sure - that makes sense. And with that - you have used that small and narrow view to paint a broader brush on JR that negates everything he has done over past 20 years. I'm not surprised - I'm never surprised - I just fundamentally disagree. Mainly because this absolutism that exists in this world is crap. It is literally not how life works.

So you are just jumping to conclusions and stating it is absolutely the case - you are going to ignore 20+ years of evidence (1st female front office individual, multiple minority managers, minority GM (who than became president), etc. GMAFB.

Lets see - 1. He is old - therefor he can't possibly relate to others and knows nothing about analytics 2. No FA will ever come here - maybe some won't, I don't know - but Stroman likes a tweet and assume that 100% states he won't be back and evne more so means no players will. For all we know there are a number of players who have played with other vets who were on TLR teams who are like he's a hell of a mgr, will have great coaches, etc. 3. Our own players are going to revolt - based upon what - no one knows shit. All I see is massive speculation - why don't we wait and see vs. instantly react 4. He is anti-anlytic and anti-fun - I don't know what basis we have for this; Bash Brothers, Ricky, and others. 5. This is worst move Sox have made in forever - I'm done - Seriously - this is the move that makes you done. Could the above end up being true - sure, but in general I think those are mainly massive hot takes. What I know for a fact is, in the past, he hasn't been a mgr who has gotten in the way of his team winning and who has acheived the ultimate pinnacle (championships). I am not going to ignorantly assume because he's old he can't continue to do that. Warren Buffet is old as shit - he is still one of the best there ever has been around making brilliant investing decisions. He still innovates.

Or the White Sox literally said - we aren't going to put Hinch/Cora on our list. I don't get why it is so unfathomable that such was the case, despite all the various media reports anyway. I mean - people are just overreacting like crazy. Lets take a second and here TLR speak and RH speak, etc. Lets see how this plays out. Again - It isn't the move I would have made, but I've said all along, I wouldn't have hired Hinch or Cora either - I don't want those guys. What they did is flat out different than the steroid era. I see a bunch of absurd hot takes in here and I think a lot of people are going to be wrong on this. If they are right - well than KW, RH, and JR didn't ask TLR the right questions to begin with as part of the interview process. I have to think these highly qualified people would have at least done that and I have to imagine KW / RH have their own direct views as well.

This - well summed jimmy. I have said a million times - I don’t love the hire but it isn’t the dumpster fire this website is making it out to be.

Yeah - I don’t know him either - But I’m largely in your camp. Plus I don’t throw that term around lightly - seems unfair the instant conclusions people are making.

I legit think this is what happened - and I don't think JR even said you have to take my guy - I think he literally said - you need to talk to my guy. RH and KW did and they said - okay he's still got the passion and he's obviously a darn good Mgr. Lets do this.

We haven't seen what he would do as the actual mgr and having actually talked with his players on the subject (maybe RH and JR and KW already talked about this in the interview - in fact I would be surprised if they didn't talk about some of this stuff - and maybe they got an answer that they could accept (I don't know). I'd also caveat I think TLR's statement came in February. We could say he shouldn't have made that statement than (and I 100% support any individuals choice around the flat - that includes someone who opts to burn the flag for whatever reason (I don't like someone burning the flag - but I respect their right to do it). But a lot has changed on this topic since Feb 2020 (TLR's view might have been the minority, but I think the overall population was still more mixed than) - that stance has shifted dramatically given all of the events that have taken place during 2020. I'd still say TLR is entitled to his opinion and I don't believe someone who says it is disrespectful to the flag is necessarily wrong (I don't personally believe it) - but I respect the viewpoint and I don't find it racist. One can stand for the flag, yet respect someone elses right to kneel for it and even disagree with their choice of action, yet still stand for the overall cause around nipping racism in the butt.

I still think every poster blowing up over TLR needs to calm down. He isn't anti analytics (maybe in-game use he is more against - but I don't think that means he's just going to ignore the splits and bring in a righty just because). I don't really think of that as an in-game analytic - that is all pre game prep, you know exactly what the splits say and you have an idea of how you are going to operate. Where he likely throws the splits out - if a guy has 3 hits and has a great swing, maybe he won't pull him against the pitcher he has struggled again coming in from relief - trust the eye test that the guy is having a great game and should stick in. Similarly - if a Gio is kicking butt, just because a guy is up who mashes lefties, maybe you stick with him vs. going to your Loogy in the 6th inning. On the politics front - I think a lot of people here are jumping to a ton of conclusions based upon nothing they factually know. It is to some extent, downright crazy. I don't know Tony and he is entitled to various view points. I don't know if his views on certain topics have changed/haven't, but the important thing to me is can he respect others opinions and can the lockeroom do that. Lockerooms are going to be full of Trump fans and Biden fans too - lets not forget that (guaranteed - lets not pretend different - this is the real world). I also don't believe the Sox would hire TLR without asking their players there views and I don't honestly think players look into things the way the STers are doing right now. I think most players questions will be - okay, he's old, how much has he kept up with the game and on the flip slide, every damn player is going to know - this guy is a HOF Mgr - that says something - period. There is no legitimate baseball reason to say TLR is a crappy manager - NONE. On the FA front - seriously - for everyone whining about TLR impacting FA's, Hinch was a cheater and half the league was pissed at it (and yes TLR condoned cheating too - but his cheating the whole darn league was doing - so in some ways it is different, doesn't make it right, just different). So many false narratives and overreactions on here. It is just crazy how much everyone has overthought this. Again - I don't love the hire, but I actually think it is more likely this is a good thing and an indicator that JR, TLR, RH and KW have all agreed - we are going to go all in and JR / TLR in particular want to win some rings as part of their lasting legacies & I am going to imagine we see an ultra aggressive front office as it relates to the off-season (and no I don't think TLR as a mgr is going to get in the way of anything - I don't know that it helps but it won't hurt). I also don't think Hinch is an amazing hire either - in fact I don't think if I had a choice I'd hire Cora, Hinch or TLR, but I'd probably take TLR over the other two (and the only thing I really hold against TLR is his age and fact there is a legit chance he just doesn't have the energy to do it - no matter if the passion is there). And last and just as important - this is the MGR - RELAX - the key to this offseason is rotation - both bolstering the front end and establishing depth. Period. I could give a rip about RF or anything else - this off-season is pitching, pitching, and more pitching and I expect aggression in FA and on the trade front.

Welcome back Greasy!!! Damn good to here from you - how the hell have you been?

I am in your camp. I don't know that he would be my top choice, but I don't think he is a bad choice and I absolutely think he can win a ring with the southsiders. IT does mean we are having another mgr conversation in 2-3 more years though, but that is okay if they have made the playoffs each of those years and won at least one championship

I will caveat - Dave Roberts makes decisions that go against the pure analytics. It is one of the things people rip on him for from time to time. That said - he is a pro analytics guy. Its just a matter that he isn't a trained robot that only does the analytics. I also don't think the Rays manager always goes with it too. They appreciate analytics for what they are and are very progressive in their use of the tool to help make them better. TLR was always one of the most progressive mgr's in the game in the past as well and had tons of teams that were extremely fun to watch and full of characters (Oakland A's is probably best example...Henderson & Canseco - I mean those are two of the most flashy guys I can remember).

I don't get this - TLR isn't anti analytics and he isn't anti-excitement. None of those are routed in truth. Now he is going to mix what a player is looking like that specific day with the analytics. The combination of the two. Maybe the analytics say pull Snell because of X, but maybe Tony says, look at his stuff today, it is plus plus, that was just a mistake an aberration and thus I'm going to stick with the guy who is looking unbelievable tonight. The above is not being anti-analytics, it is just taking and leveraging other data points into the overall consideration. Call it what you will, but I don't think it is a bad idea. The opposite would be said of a situation where the analytics say keep going, but you are watching a guy just hit into consistent hard hit out after hard hit out. Analytics say don't pull him - but mgr says nope, you are done, I can see you don't have it today, appreciate your grit to grind this out, but now we are going in another direction.

I'm super excited (and surprised) at the NBA announcement to open right before Xmas. As terrible as the Bulls are, I really miss watching my team place basketball. No idea how they are going to pull this off and I do expect we'll see a lot of stars sit as they just manage their body given the short off-season for those teams that went deep into the playoffs, but this path helps get NBA on a pretty good glide path to a normal start of the season for the 2021/2022 season.

I'll like any post from our very own Gregory Pratt!!! The man is a LT legend @Gregory Pratt

Probably best case answer. I don't know that I want the Ball family and Lamelo has his issues, but I think he has upside and Bulls need a playmaker.

And Foles played awful tonight - but there were a ton of times where you literally could see him staring down Nagy for how pissed he was at the playcalling. Not playing with tempo, etc. Going to be interesting. By the way - that was right there with Trubisky's performance against the Saints last year. Oh - and why exactly is Ginn returning punts?

I haven't followed Foles his whole career, but I never remember him making excuses or throwing others under the bus. This is a DAMNING comment from his starting QB. https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1320929740690198530 We were talking to Nick Foles yesterday and sometimes play calls come in, and I know I don't have time to execute that play call. And I'm the one out here getting hit... Matt Nagy, he doesn't know how much time there is back here."