chitownsportsfan

I gotta agree with Captain here. From everything I've read the payroll concerns on the N. Side have been vastly over stated and probably emerged mostly out of the wake of the Wilbon's exposure in the Maddon ponzi scheme. Is Rickets the most liquid and well financed owner in MLB? Nah, probably not even close. But the asset he's sitting on just probably increased it's value by 15-30%. If he wants to leverage that into a higher payroll I'd imagine he'll find a way. It didn't stop them from quickly building the best team in MLB so how the hell is it an issue going forward now that Rickets just turned the Cubs into a money tree? If they weren't before, they sure as s*** are now.

Well the Cubs' franchise valuation probably just went through the roof. Any sort of debt the Ricketts had to incur to purchase the majority stake is small potatoes at this point. Yea it might weigh them down as far as capping future payrolls but I have to think given the absolute bonanza this will be for the Cub's overall brand the additional revenue streams will largely offset or overcome that. There's no world in which this is good for the Sox, short or long term. Probably 80% of the youth in Chicago, south side, north side or upside down are now burgeoning Cubs fans. The impact is going to be felt for decades.

short answer: we're boned.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 1, 2016 -> 10:17 PM) That was probably accommodated for and we just didn't know it.

I'm not from Chicago but I do think you're spot on with your analysis about no "Chicago fans". That's like asking a Jets fan to root for the Giants in the super bowl. Good luck.

A club capable of winning consistently on the field, or at least fielding a competitive product wouldn't make this decision. It's that simple. This decision part and parcel of the awful leadership at the top. That's why when you say "oh just field a winner and nobody will care about the logo" isn't so simple. People need to be replaced.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Nov 1, 2016 -> 02:27 PM) Yes old news. Sorry it wasn't covered in this month's AARP.

"old news" http://deadspin.com/white-sox-didnt-want-g...stad-1788440027

"old news" right Dick? http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/newsst...teed_rate_field

I guess "old news" equals pretty much every sports related place I visit online having a story on this and everybody (well 90%) of the commentators ripping on the Sox for how awful this is? Just wait Dick, it will be "old news" when the Sox are 10 under in July next year and they are struggling to get 20K a night. That's the "old news" for us fans. That the team sucks and is incredibly out of touch.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Oct 31, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) I'm completely serious when I say that this is something (losing club, relatively cheap) that you'd see in a Hollywood film, it's that bad and cliche. Huge down arrow as you enter the stadium for a club that barely can draw 20K a night and win 80 games. Can't. Wait. I hate the overused phrase "how are the Optics" -- but let me wipe this lens clear: THE OPTICS f***ING SUCK. that the owner let this happen just piles another steaming turd on the growing stack of evidence that says the Sox are a clueless, out of touch org. shocking how out of touch they are.

I'm completely serious when I say that this is something (losing club, relatively cheap) that you'd see in a Hollywood film, it's that bad and cliche. Huge down arrow as you enter the stadium for a club that barely can draw 20K a night and win 80 games. Can't. Wait. I hate the overused phrase "how are the Optics" -- but let me wipe this lens clear: THE OPTICS f***ING SUCK. that the owner let this happen just piles another steaming turd on the growing stack of evidence that says the Sox are a clueless, out of touch org.

Why wouldn't you just self publish? It's 2016... If you're a professional (albeit freelance) journalist don't you have a blog?

I might do something I've never done and that's boycott the team anyway I can. Won't sign up for MLB.tv, won't go to spring training, etc. I've had enough. The continue to just s*** on the fan base. I'm not trying to be dramatic I've just had enough.

Balta I didn't want to quote your entire post but it's 100% accurate. Like, in some alt universe (or hell, let's hope: this one!) where Chris Getz turns out to the like the next Hollywood fairytale scout or some s*** and leads the Sox to the best farm system in MLB in the next three years this is an awesome hire. In the context of the entire org's failure over the past decade, with all the nepotism (real or imagined, Dick), and Chris' complete lack of qualifications for the position this is AN AWFUL f***ING HIRE. that said, I hope it really turns out great and signals a turning point in the Hahn/KW era. Seriously, I do. But I don't expect it.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 05:12 PM) The point I am making is perhaps this guy is pretty qualified. Maybe they did interview several others. He is a hire from another organization so it isn't like they remained in house. I really think if Getz came up with the Dodgers and never played for the White Sox, those who find this move so wrong in so many ways would be OK with it. He hasn't been part of the White Sox way. Again, we don't even know wher Buddy Bell and others jobs end and his begins. They probably have a pecking order, but the organization appears to use or at least imply they use a lot of collaboration. I don't know if he is any good or not, but the Twitter world baseball people seem to think he is a good idea. We will see. Sideways or up is really the only 2 was the arrow can point from here. This just isn't a loyalty hire. Maybe they don't hire him if they didn't know him previously, but it isn't like they have been dying to get Chris Getz in the organization in some capacity like they have others over the years. This is different. There is no replacement for executive experience, of which Getz has zero. This isn't a job like MLB hitting coach where you could argue experience isn't really necessary it's more about gravitas and ability to work with huge egos and get the best out of them. As Director, he will be responsible for the entire organization of the minor league instructional setup or by extension the people he hires will. Making those decisions will be the most important things he does. There is nothing in his resume that suggests he'll be a good executive and as anyone that has run a business can tell you it really doesn't matter how prepared or smart you think you are experience is by far the best teacher. Experience with your own decision making really. It's just a s***ty hire from a s***ty management team.

Nice chart Caulfield and shows just how far Getz was down the org in KC. He was basically at entry level. That said, it appears from the same publicly available info on the site, that the Sox have separated their MiLB operations from the rest of baseball operations. That makes Getz the head of MiLB operations and entails a massive amount of executive duties as such. Basically he'll be responsible for the hiring and firing and performance of the entire MiLb operations. By the chart, that puts him ahead of Hostetler. http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/team/front...ce.jsp?c_id=cws

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 04:48 PM) I suspect there are folks in the Cardinals, Pirates, Cubs, Red Sox, etc. organizations that had similar amounts of experience. There's no way they should have even considered anybody with less than 5 years prior experience in a player development and/or an executive position in an MLB org. IE, someone who has experience with team building, consensus building, setting a budget, managing a staff -- not to mention the day to day task of trying to improve your players. That's what really boggles my mind -- not that he was hired, but that he was hired into arguably the 3rd highest executive position on the club behind KW and Hahn. The manager is on the players side, the Director of Player Development is firmly in the FO and will have quite a bit of executive decisions to make. They hired someone that has zero experience making those decisions. 0. Zero. Nada. Zilch.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Oct 17, 2016 -> 02:35 PM) People can complain about Getz all they want. I even stated earlier his experience is light, but...do we even know his specific job duties? It's just odd that this position is now so important The guy that held it previously was never really questioned, wasn't ripped, wasn't really complained about moving into a job on the major league staff. If the development has been bad, and this role so crucial, it's amazing he has received zero play. All I was mentioning is now Getz get scrutinized more in one day, before he even starts, than this guy did in 5 years of apparent failure. Yes, we do. He's the DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT. I'm guessing, but it's a pretty informed guess, that he'll be in charge of the day to day operations of the entire MiLB instructional staff and will also have a budget to fill such positions as he sees fit, with minimal oversight from above. He'll also probably have a large voice in player acquisitions, including but not limited to International signings, domestic FA, trades and the amateur draft. Furthermore he'll have a voice in how spring training is organized and how off season activities and workouts are setup and run. In sum, it's a critically important position. That they gave it to someone with 1.5 years experience at an entry level position boggles my mind. I really do not care how well he interviewed or how well he gets a long with the current staff or even that he was a former Sox player. That critical thing here is that he in no way qualified for this position. In isolation, if the team was coming off a run of success, you'd perhaps grant them the benefit of the doubt in the hiring process. However, that is not the case, not even close to the case. This is an org that has continually failed at the MLB level over the past 10 years and that has also largely failed at player development over that time. Who in their right mind would look at this on the face and think "trust'em"? Noooooobodddddy.

I have no problems hiring a former player. The problem is hiring a guy WITH 1.5 YEARS EXPERIENCE AT AN ENTRY LEVEL MLB POSITION AS HEAD OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT. Seriously. Even if this turns out to be the best hire in the history of hires the process itself is incredibly flawed. Did they even interview anyone else?

QUOTE (GreatScott82 @ Oct 14, 2016 -> 08:01 PM) Because it is ran by weak willed individuals at the top. Also, they just wing it every year and hope to catch lightning in a bottle with their subpar acquisitions. Im convinced they are lazy and are too buddy-buddy with their coaching staff. Oh and the way they handled the Robin departure was embarrassing. Oh and maybe they should stop the fan shaming. We are calling them out because they have failed us over and over again the last 8 seasons. Perhaps for once, they can be more transparent with their long term plans and goals? Gosh, KW and Hahn are damn lucky to work for the White Sox, any other organization woulld have canned them a long time ago. To me , this is proof that JR is getting dementia or just doesn't care anymore. I think he doesn't care anymore, maybe because his health is failing.

why oh why does this org refuse to clear out dead wood?

CONOR!

QUOTE (Dam8610 @ Oct 4, 2016 -> 02:26 PM) Urias was on the table for Sale at the deadline. What do you think has changed since then? That would be such an awful trade on the face of it. Urias, best case, is basically Chris Sale who has no loyalty to your org and who will probably not be signing a pre-arb deal for 20-30% of what he'd get on the free market. Urias is a helluva talent but if you trade Chris Sale you trade for established production position players that are young (under 28 or so) but that have proven they can produce at an average or better level. Sox need more of those guys, especially in the OF.

QUOTE (Black_Jack29 @ Sep 28, 2016 -> 09:23 PM) My guess is that Tigers fans don't share your assessment. They haven't won a championship in 32 years and have an aging, declining roster. Ilitch is worse than JR, wasting $100M+ money on good-but-not great players like Justin Upton and firing a highly competent executive like Dombrowski. And they have no ring to show for it. Life as a Tigers fan will likely be worse over the next five years than life as a Sox fan. I know quite a few Tigers fans as I grew up in MI. They aren't thrilled with the constant doubling down but overall they've had a lot of fun. Most of them I know acknowledge that without the WS ring their run feels incomplete but most of them are also pretty happy with how the club has performed over those years with a consistently winning team and watching great players like Miggy and Verlander compete.