southsider2k5

Yeah reading the posts in this thread, I don't know where anyone would get the words "fickle" and "bandwagon" from when talking about the White Sox fan base. I hope you all enjoy your next team.

I swear some nights if you wanted to completely change the game of hockey, all you would need to do is make the goal like one inch bigger.

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ May 23, 2015 -> 06:50 PM) Scott Skiles is the frontrunner for the Magic job, and Jeff Van Gundy wants to coach the Pelicans So much for the theory that Van Gundy was helping Thibs.

A moment like we saw with the Paul Konerko ceremony is everything that is right with baseball. Those are the moments you should take from the game and cherish.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 23, 2015 -> 03:10 PM) Was that a veiled reference at PK getting into broadcasting or am I just drunk. That is sure what it sounded like.

That was a great ceremony. Incredible to see PK all choked up. Nice work.

If the Sox could save say a million dollars on this pick, I would be all for it.

QUOTE (fathom @ May 22, 2015 -> 08:55 PM) Sanchez has been great on defense, but his offense has been worse than anyone could have anticipated. It will be interesting to see if Beckham or Bonifacio get a chance to start consecutive games at 2nd while the rest of the offense is struggling. Not really. This about what he did last year in his 100 ABs.

Maybe this is the old man in me speaking, but if baseball makes you miserable, you are doing it wrong, and you need to step away. Sports is supposed to be something to get enjoyment out of and forget your troubles for a few hours. If it is stress, you are missing the point. Judging by many posters here, there are more than a few of you in this spot. Being a Sox fan isn't the most important thing in life. If it is causing you angst, find something else that brings you joy. I am a Sox fan because even a bad Sox game is better than a bad day at work, on the golf course, or just about anything else. I love baseball and I love my team. If your life changes because of a baseball team, your priorities are all wrong.

Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 26m26 minutes ago Sale on PK: "He’s arguably, really not arguably, probably the best player to ever come to this franchise, on and off the field." More Sale on PK: "When you think of the word professional, he was every bit of that definition." Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 28m28 minutes ago Konerko had some TV offers coming down the stretch last year. Said that's the furthest thing down the list on future baseball jobs Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 1h1 hour ago Paul Konerko very passionate about hockey these days. Went to Gretzky fantasy camp. Going to #Blackhawks tomorrow night. #WhiteSox

Scott Merkin ‏@scottmerkin 15m15 minutes ago Greg Walker, Ozzie Guillen and Mike Gellinger just a few of the dignitaries expected to be here Saturday for Konerko jersey retirement

Doug Padilla ‏@ESPNChiSox 30s30 seconds ago Avisail Garcia scratched with knee soreness http://es.pn/1Lmr1U3

Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 34m34 minutes ago #WhiteSox for 5/22: Eaton 8, Cabrera 7, Abreu 3, LaRoche DH, Garcia 9, Gillaspie 5, Ramirez 6, Soto 2, Sanchez 4. Samardzija v. Hughes.

Dan Hayes ‏@CSNHayes 15m15 minutes ago Hector Noesi likely to start Mon in Toronto. #whitesox

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 10m10 minutes ago Chicago, IL Carlos Rodon skipped for next start Monday . Ventura says next start for him is a private matter right now . No health issue

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 22, 2015 -> 03:23 PM) In 1997 we were 350000 tickets behind them with neither team making the playoffs. In 1998, we finished under .500, they made the playoffs, and we were 1 million tickets behind them. In 1999, the Kids can Play, we were a million tickets behind them again. In 2000, we won that division, they missed the playoffs, and the gap narrowed to 600k. How about we just try winning for a few years and see if it works? I promise to apologize if it doesn't, fair deal? We've done the 7 years without a playoff appearance experiment and it seems to be doing a poor job of filling the ballpark. Hence the "Bandwagon Fans" part.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ May 22, 2015 -> 03:15 PM) As soon as we have a top 3 payroll, are the only team in a major media market with an RSN that generates revenues greater than most Central American nations, three World Series winners within a decade and the most historic baseball palace in the entire world....then your example can begin to be relevant. It's like saying we might as well wish for Illitch, Moreno or Mark Cuban to buy the franchise and operate it like a hobby/passion instead of pure business/return on investment play. Even before that, fans were going to games in Boston. Long before they made three straight playoff appearances, fans were going to games.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 22, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) And how exactly did they get there? They put winning teams on the field with payrolls that were in the top 5-10, the range we were in from 2008-2011, and the end result was that they packed the ballpark and were able to grow that revenue base into one of the top in baseball. We had top 10 payrolls for 5 of 6 years, every year from 2006-2011 except 2009, and we wound up with 1 wild card birth to show for it. During the years the Red Sox moved from having a payroll around #10 to #2-3, they never fielded a sub .500 team. They earned that full ballpark. We earned our half empty one. The Red Sox haven't had a year under 30k since 1998. So it isn't like this is a new phenomenon that corresponds with them making three playoff appearances in a row for the first time in their history in 2003 to 2005, which is apparently the bare minimum for White Sox fans to show up according to this thread. In fact they have only made the playoffs once in the 2010's. Despite that, they are still averaging 36.5K a night with a team that has a record pretty much the same as ours.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 22, 2015 -> 02:25 PM) No, my point is that a fanbase which fills a park constantly every single game can still be pretty down on its team. Especially when they're rotten, and it's been a while since Boston has endured multiple losing years in a row like we have. Maybe, just maybe, the problem isn't people like us overreacting to this team being rotten. Maybe the problem is them being rotten. Yet Fenway is still sold out almost every single night, and at prices that dwarf ours. The Red Sox get to drop an incredible number of dollars on Yoan Moncada, while we stress about going a bit over slot on Carlos Rodon. THAT is the difference. It is why the Red Sox get to go out and buy a new team, while we have to fret about every signing.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 22, 2015 -> 01:58 PM) It's very intriguing, especially the inferiority complex. My favorite is the "Cubs fans only care about the beer, Sox fans care about the baseball". If anyone has been to both stadiums in recent years, I would say the opposite is more likely to be true. The indifference fans had at games during the 2012 pennant race was really eye opening. I will admit, my opinion on this has completely changed over the last 10-15 years. I bought into the idea that if the Sox could only win the World Series, it would change everything in Chicago. I wasn't much of a fan of ownership, especially in the wake of the meltdown that the Bulls saw over Jordan vs Krause vs Jackson.. Then 2005 happened. The bandwagon filled up, just like I expected it to. Then Sox fans reactions to 2006 to 2008 flew in the face of everything that they used to say about them needing a winner, and so on. 2012 we were in first place for all but the last week of the season. Still no one showed up. Then the the narrative changed from just having a good team, or a playoff team, to a team that has to win all of the time for people to show up. Over that decade the other narratives changed as well. At one point it was the neighborhood, or nightlife, or parking, the angles of the upper deck, or even the colors of the seats. In general Sox fans don't show up unless something extra-special is going on, and they get incredibly defensive if you don't accept all of the excuses that they offer. I don't get why it is some sort of insult to draw this conclusion from the obvious history sitting right in front of us. Sox fans are a bandwagon bunch as a whole.

Buster Olney ‏@Buster_ESPN 1h1 hour ago MLB suspends Will Smith for 8 games. Should've deferred discipline 'til they had a common-sense conversation about foreign-substance rule. Bob Nightengale ‏@BNightengale 56m56 minutes ago Will Smith will appeal the suspension, hoping to at least get a reduction since he's a reliever. A starting pitcher usually misses 2 starts

Tracey Myers ‏@TramyersCSN 43m43 minutes ago TVR said no issues whatsoever with his knee. No real pain with his wrist, just stiffness in it sometimes. #Blackhawks

SportsCenter ‏@SportsCenter 38m38 minutes ago BREAKING: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says next season will be Kobe Bryant's last with the Lakers. http://es.pn/1SoKqcy

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan 8m8 minutes ago Jeff Passan retweeted Jesse Sanchez This is big. Many believe he's the best pitcher in Cuba. Short right-hander but will get significant bank. Jeff Passan added, Jesse Sanchez @JesseSanchezMLB Sources tell me top Cuban RHP prospect Norge Luis Ruiz, 21, has left the island and will be seeking a Major League contract. #Cuba

QUOTE (Thad Bosley @ May 22, 2015 -> 12:30 PM) Comparing our attendance to that of Detroit does nothing to add to what we are talking about here about our attendance problems. And apparently you are not reading anything that doesn't fit your own pre-set agenda, either, which is to blame attendance on fans making excuses, because you were asked to back that claim up with evidence and you didn't. Whatever. In the meantime, we agree to disagree. The club has a very bad attendance problem. I optimistically suggest that would be fixed over time with more sustained winning. That's what I believe to be true. You don't agree, which is fine, and I don't care if you do or not. You're entitled to your opinion. But if what you say is, in fact, true, that sustained winning won't solve the problem, and you are convinced the "small bandwagon" fan base just won't show up for one excuse or another, then Mr. Reinsdorf ought to think about selling the current ballpark that seats 40,000 and building one that only seats 20,000, because to your way of thinking, that's all he'll ever need. In one post you are asking about our fan base being any worse or different then anyone else's but then you won't accept a comparison of another fan base. That makes total sense. Your definition of what it takes to get fans to show up is the very definition of a bandwagon fan base. Not only does this team have to win, but it has to win at a rate that is unprecedented in not only its history, but in the history of all Chicago baseball. A rate of winning that has happened three times combined in the entire histories for all of the teams in the AL Central. In my lifetime Sox fans have shown up for one thing. A World Series Champion. That is it. If that isn't the definition of a bandwagon fanbase, I don't know what is.