bmags

Bullpen is starting to come into shape, hope it’s more than a good run.

I think the bans were good, the shadow ban of bonds I struggle with. That braves exec getting banned for life for the intl thing is still hilariously over the top to me.

I am much happier this year, but yes, it serves to remember that the Sox “stabilized” in May before falling off a cliff again in June and July last year. But we actually have re enforcements coming up this year instead of churning old ass vets.

With the season etc etc.

we definitely need a surprise guy offensively which just...have we had an offensive prospect for 25 years that significantly outperformed their pedigree? Not talking about in the sense of Adam Engel being a major leaguer is a huge accomplishment, but like how a 3rd round pick like Michael Harris can zoom up from the 3rd round, Steven Kwan in the 5th, or a Cody Bellinger in the 4th. 3 different teams. It happens to most teams, it has not happened to the white sox. Maybe someone can come up with someone i missed, but all of our offensive talent for 2 decades have been players that we had to trade for after proving themselves or were very established. no bringing up semien.

I really don't think it's rigged, I do think the lottery's revamped system rewards great teams who suffer injuries (a team with Kyrie and Davis should not be in the lottery) and punishes/crushes fan bases who are patiently waiting to return to relevance. You may be able to spend into relevance in the mlb...you cannot in the NHL/NBA. Players especially have so much power over which franchises they'll even sign to. You are just making it so bad years for a team become bad decades. Meanwhile, has any team been like "eh we are going to be bad but the lottery is difficult to win, let's sign an extra vet because it doesn't matter?" No. They know they are not going to make the playoffs so situations like the bulls (1 win led them to miss out on a decade+ of relevance) do not happen. Players unions are idiots here, just destroying the game.

100%. They send certain franchises into purgatory (Orlando great example who had brutal luck for half a decade) while rewarding some teams who are already talent rich. Players unions need to stop thinking this does ANYTHING to improve jobs for middling vets. It’s such a joke.

This happened before, I wanna say with the kings when they jumped into top 2 and took Bagley.

Just awful. NBA sucks

It is so telling though that if a team spends a lot on players the owners feel quite emboldened to criticize, but the money they take out of their own pockets to go to another owner to just hold as profit is met with only anonymous confirmation.

it's disgusting...but to me the most disgusting team is the pirates also get free draft picks and more intl money while the sox choose to operate as a dirt poor team while getting docked for being a high revenue team. The only actors being punished by anti-tanking rules, competitive balance rules, etc...are truly white sox fans. We are the worst team in history and couldn't even get the benefit of a first overall pick.

That’s save #2

ah, BA had louisville, well also hard.

I've gotten to see Ethan Moore a few times this year, pretty fun team at OPRF this year. His body is shockingly filled out at his age. 5'10 193, I'm assuming he's a tough sign away from louisville. Excited to see his career, but I definitely thought about the feedback of Alek Thomas coming out.

I really wish Farmer were here to see this. As a tangent to that, I really wish sox had put on a remembering Ed Farmer day. We lost him during the pandemic, and he was such a big part of those who grew up in 90s-2010s (even if you hated him never telling the score). Every time I pass St. Rita I think "Hey farmio"

yes that is crazy, always figured he was older than me but he was also a year younger.

There was a very good joke I can’t remember on here (I believe from kalapse) on the knowledge we learn from each other and bring into our real lives, only when we get asked where we learned it feel self conscious (“uh wetbutt23 on soxtalk”) But I have a whole part of my brain of stuff about Iowa state and the big 12 from Alex, and so much would come up and I’d share. Alex’s humor and passion was amplified by all of us, in so many IRL conversations. And it sucks so much that we’ll will not continue to fill up. But if I blurt out a fact I learned about Iowa State, I’m sure as hell gonna tell them it was from heads22 on soxtalk. RIP Alex

I’m sick to hear this. Don’t even know what to say.

Was really hoping they called it as soon as the delay started. Go Sox!

Not to dance on his grave but funny that Hostetler used to always say “makeup separates” and then with his two premier picks he chooses two guys with zero physical growth potential that you had to assume had great makeup. But instead it was Madrigal and Vaughn.

I know his career is over so it’s no big deal but that’s wild to openly throw out like that.

They are gonna trade for Elko and he’ll be a hall of famer playing until 46

We won

These anti-tanking rules sure are paying off. Now every team is competitive.

One thing I find interesting is how even as I held Vaughn in low esteem as a below average first baseman, it is remarkable just how the longer a player is in the white Sox the worse they get. Vaughn was a scouting calamity, but no matter if we take in a high ceiling player like Robert or low floor marshmallow like Vaughn, the closer they get to their prime the more likely they will be the worst player they have ever been.