LVSoxFan

This game is just brutal, although last night was one I got to suffer in-person. It's like Minnesota completely owns us. Every bounce goes their way. God I hate them, but you have to admire them...

LOL I hear ya about the Red Sox games. I was thinking of taking one in just to get in a few more Sox games before the season ends... ... but I fear that at those games there'll be more Red Sox than White Sox fans. I recall a game like that in 2007...

Sorry I concur. You wonder how 2005 even worked out. I guess it was a fluke. I'm more than happy to literally rebuild--although I think we can keep some of the veterans--and have a quality product on the field year after year like, sorry, the Twins. I thought that's what we did in 2005--we decided to follow their model (of playing, at least). But it seems the last decade we've had a mish-mash of a few All Stars, some aging veterans trying to have that big final year, mid- to low-level talent we've signed as an experiment to bring back from the dead, and would-be rookies who were supposed to chew it up but floundered hopelessly until they disappeared or were traded away. It's not the losing of the division that drives me nuts, it's the bi-polar nature of these teams, save for 2005. At least in 2006 they split it into two halves--first half, amazing; second half, dismal. Since then, though, we're hot then cold then hot then cold... this year was odd in that we sucked for two months straight, then dominated for a month, then slid back into playing .500 to sub-.500 ball, never building on that momentum. Like with stocks, I'm tired of the super-high volatility index. Or weirdness where we can't get past the Royals but then we sweep the Red Sox. WTF? So yes, I'm willing to start over and re-think the system.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

OK why are we hitting this guy again?

QUOTE (Real @ Sep 14, 2010 -> 04:35 PM) the headline in friday's suntimes will be about how the twins swept us at our own ballpark, liriano is gonna f***ing own us SILENCE! Was it over... when the GERMANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR?!!!

I'll be there tonight. I can't wait until we put a dent in these fockers...

The biggest single reason we didn't run away with the division is not having Thome?

^This. For the LOVE OF GOD, can we please stop with the "If only we had kept Jim Thome, we'd be in this!" insanity? I really fail to see how a team's entire season rise or falls... on one position player. It's not like we've been rolling over the Central Division this year outside the Twins, either--and that's the problem. We can sweep the Red Sox but then lose three to Detroit? WTF? OK, so the addition of Manny is probably the most upfront acknowledgement that the DH-by-committee idea didn't work. That one reality is the key to our whole season?

I just got home from this debacle and when the division's on the line and you go down 8-2 to the freakin Royals...I'm not holding my breath for this season.

I think it is true that if this keeps up, it all comes down to the series here against the Twins.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 1, 2010 -> 02:13 PM) Looking down the road, is it a forgone conclusion that we'll see a picture of Paulie on the wall with a statue of his on the concourse? Exactly what I said to my mom when we were at Frank Thomas day. Paulie will be the next one.

LOL I forgot about that, how deafening the boos were when he baited us all by mentioned Giambi. LOL.

I agree, UD behind home plate is where we usually park it if we're not standing in LF. Great, great view.

I like the lakefront park idea, a la San Francisco--right on the water. What would be crazy interesting is, if that ever happened, is to see what that did to attendance and who would remain "Chicago's team," as the park would become a tourist destination that it isn't now, compared to Wrigley.

I hated the new Comiskey when it opened; as others here have noted, when you had Cleveland and Colorado building beautiful retro parks, it sucked. The renovations kicked ass, though. I love it now. And you have to marvel, as I did yesterday, at the view from CF UD, where you can see the South Loop and even the lake. Or how you can see the skyline from ramps as you exit that side of the park, or the view of the West Side from the other decks. I also like the fact that the outfield is open, i.e., it's not a 360 degree bowl, which allows for the view. The only thing I don't like is the ugly McDonald's logo stuck in the middle of the CF board, but a small complaint. It may not be the coolest park in the country, but hey: it's ours. Lots of great memories there. And don't forget the fact that it's literally right on the red line; in Chicago you can literally take the same line north or south and be dropped off in front of the ballparks (the convenience which became apparent if you've ever been to KC or Rangers Stadium, where you have to drive completely out of the city to go to the ballgame).

PMD after an apparent blown call at first base, Ozzie comes running out, heading towards the first base umpire. He gets about halfway there, then stops, then throws up his arms and flings them at the ump, like "Aw, forget it--to hell with you!" Then the ump tossed him as he was walking back to the dugout. Pretty damn funny.

My favorite parts of today, loss notwithstanding: -The tribute to Frank was kickass, and enormous. The Sox sure do know how to honor a player. -His pic on the left field wall is so cool, and so RIGHT -His speech; he seemed genuinely moved -Throwing out the first pitch to Fisk? Awesome! -Hawk's intro was really good -The massive fireworks when they unveiled his wall spot As far as the game: -Season highlight double play by Alexei--nice -What Ozzie did to get thrown out was hilarious. A lot of people missed it -WTF with the umps today? -When we left the bases loaded, I knew we were screwed. Woods was wild and that was our biggest chance

I'm in. BTW got decent seats on StubHub--UD section 533 behind home plate for $66/ticket. BTW $53 for SRO tickets is an outrage. Oh, and you can add another $20 in TM service charges to that.

QUOTE (SnB @ Aug 24, 2010 -> 08:51 AM) these last few weeks have been brutal.....and to top it off, I was at Kauffman and sat through that entire doubleheader game on saturday, Just heartbreaking stuff Ha! Every game I've seen at Kauffman the Sox have lost (about five). I know how you feel.

Stan you're right in that no, I don't remember any recent time where we were involved in SO many extra-inning or one-run games and lost most of them. That is weird. And new.

To answer the OP question, yes, nothing was worse than the swan dive in 2005 which we managed to pull out of before it was a death spiral. To go from first place all season to being potentially knocked out was a fate worse than death. It was so bad I literally couldn't watch some of the games--wouldn't watch. Wouldn't go, even though I had tickets. So let's keep things in perspective. Before this year's resurgence everybody had written this team off by June, so it just doesn't compare. Them coming back was simply a pleasant surprise. But let's be real: the warning signs have been there all season--most notably an inability to beat division opponents. That's always a red flag. It was a problem before the ASB, it's a problem again. And then losing what should be winning series against teams like Baltimore or KC--not good. I haven't written off the season yet, but I'm not being blindly optimistic either.

Glad to see some people are off the ledge. Again. Now we go to KC. These are the games we "must" win if we're going to stay in this. I'm not saying sweep, but if we don't win this series we don't deserve to stay in it. That said, we always have a tough time playing there. Oughta be interesting. I agree, 4 games doesn't seem that bad--when it could have been six.

a) I am SO tired of hearing that all our problems basically come down to: we didn't bring back Thome. Geesh. That's it, huh? The key between good season/lost season? Was our DH? Thome? B) It's probably too late, but I think it's time Ozzie--or Kenny--gave a "Herb Brooks" speech to the team, like the one he gave them before 1980 game against the Russians. Everybody has this insanely overrated idea of the Twins, just as everyone feared the Soviets back then. He mocked them in front of his team, relentlessly. He said they could be beat, and they could do it. I am done with, as somebody else here so perfectly put it, the games following a "script" when it comes to the Twins. I thought it was allegedly the Metrodome that was supposed to be the culprit! Apparently not. I think it's mental, just like it used to be with Oakland. On the other hand, we haven't been winning when we should have all season (against division rivals, against sh*t teams like Baltimore), so maybe we just aren't that good.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Aug 18, 2010 -> 01:50 PM) I like to imagine a couple of long, juicy Melton wieners going into your mouth. LOL!!!!!!!! You just TOTALLY beat me to the punch on that one!