southsider2k5

They did it sometime during the day on Friday. Literally when my wife went to work in the morning it was Oldies 104.3, and when she came home it was Jack radio or some s***.

Wow. That was kind of funny after listening to DJ praise the guy all game long. It just goes to show you that DJ can jinx anything.

QUOTE(knightni @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 08:59 PM) Are you cheering for the Twinks? He is a Twins fan.

I said it once, and I will say it again (only this time I don't feel like rigging it) one million votes for Timo.

Jimbos or tailgate.

QUOTE(sox-r-us @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 07:34 PM) Uh????? That graph shows we are doing better than last year, which I knew even before starting this thread. But it still does not answer the question as to why we have only 23K on a Fri night with a winning team in June. You cannot be that stupid, Jabroni. Wake up and smell the coffee, and get with the program. Typical. Nitpick at a scab instead of looking at the whole body.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 06:18 PM) I give you permission to ban me if this ends up bad. About that close. Next time be quiet

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 06:17 PM) Oh f***.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 06:16 PM) There's a lot of sun, but that was f***ing awful for Pods. Crisp has done that twice in LF.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 06:15 PM) Hermy's to good to get jinxed. There now if we lose it's my fault. Try again

DJ just jinxed Hermanson. If we lose, its his fault.

I knew it wouldn't be Timo. f***.

QUOTE(3E8 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 02:45 PM) Remember when we got Contreras for Loiaza? Not bad. Contreras would still be the same mental case if it wasn't for AJ. I truely believe that.

QUOTE(sox-r-us @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 02:45 PM) And that is what the purpose of this thread is. Solicit opinions, and hopefully some of the ideas reach our marketing guru thereby helping OUR team. And for what you said earlier ssk, I buy tons of Sox merchandise all the time and I go to asmany Ms vs Sox games as I can every year. How much are we talking here? Couple of thousand dollars a year worth?

Excellent post by Jim, post of the year material, IMHO. QUOTE(JimH @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 01:05 PM) OK, I have read the whole thread. Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently. Commentary on the thread 1. Attendance is a legit topic to discuss. There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll. They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily. Steff knows all the numbers by heart. 2. I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread. Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc. Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance. 3. For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd: B.S. He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it. Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games. We are all fans. Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss. Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California. Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway. It's a very small portion but that is the case. 4. b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything. He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous. The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that? Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox. Stop the elitism crap. I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could. Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's. How to Increase Attendance 1. First of all it will not be an overnite thing. Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post. IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox. People like to do the "in" thing. The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite. It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's). The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do. Over time it will make a difference. 2. Continue redeveloping the neighborhood. I grew up there. There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions. Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum. Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice". Word of mouth is very powerful. They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help. 3. The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture. The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa. Example: on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo. Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places? "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza." Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out. The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea. Embrace the neighborhood. 4. Continue the focus on marketing to kids. Have even more kids promotions. Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start. Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago. The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do. 5. Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child. Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc. Market the upper deck to community newspapers. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper. 6. Market the Club Level to the swankier audience. It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience. Chicago Magazine is a good place to start. 7. Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc. Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark. Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment. Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line. If you do, you are not welcome here. This supports families going to games. And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$. 8. Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners. Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood. Not at all hard to do. Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called. Or, have a Lucky Row contest. They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza. Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment. There are a lot more ideas but that's a start. Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more. Boyer is trying to do this. Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans. Let the fans get to know the players a bit more. Lots of ways to do this.

QUOTE(Capn12 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 06:55 AM) And its been a tremendously long career too right? One that is long enough to get a good grasp on his capabilities huh. :headshake What you don't think we should judge a guys career by less than 100 innings pitched?

Actually if anyone kept watching Brantley had an excellent breakdown on release point, arm slot, injury, and movement.

I saw the weather channel talking about our area, specifically a couple of the cells within this storm. There are two backwards C patterns emerging which are ideal for tornados. The systems don't look big, but NASTY. This could be interesting.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 01:05 PM) OK, I have read the whole thread. Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently. Commentary on the thread 1. Attendance is a legit topic to discuss. There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll. They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily. Steff knows all the numbers by heart. 2. I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread. Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc. Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance. 3. For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd: B.S. He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it. Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games. We are all fans. Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss. Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California. Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway. It's a very small portion but that is the case. 4. b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything. He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous. The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that? Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox. Stop the elitism crap. I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could. Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's. How to Increase Attendance 1. First of all it will not be an overnite thing. Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post. IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox. People like to do the "in" thing. The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite. It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's). The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do. Over time it will make a difference. 2. Continue redeveloping the neighborhood. I grew up there. There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions. Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum. Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice". Word of mouth is very powerful. They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help. 3. The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture. The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa. Example: on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo. Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places? "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza." Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out. The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea. Embrace the neighborhood. 4. Continue the focus on marketing to kids. Have even more kids promotions. Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start. Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago. The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do. 5. Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child. Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc. Market the upper deck to community newspapers. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper. 6. Market the Club Level to the swankier audience. It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience. Chicago Magazine is a good place to start. 7. Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc. Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark. Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment. Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line. If you do, you are not welcome here. This supports families going to games. And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$. 8. Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners. Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood. Not at all hard to do. Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called. Or, have a Lucky Row contest. They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza. Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment. There are a lot more ideas but that's a start. Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more. Boyer is trying to do this. Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans. Let the fans get to know the players a bit more. Lots of ways to do this. Jim if you have not passed this on to Brooks and company, do so. If you need contact info, please PM me.

And dispite it all, we are 36-18 at the 1/3rd of the season marker, with the best record in baseball.

Great thread TLAK. Like I have been saying all year, enjoy this, it might not last. Personally I would rather live it up now, vs dwelling on the negative, because even if the negative happens, I still have the happy memories of it. Which to me is worth more than being able to say, I predicted the downfall of the Sox. Who cares? Baseball is meant to be enjoyed.

QUOTE(Yossarian @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 10:26 AM) I've seen the light and you've said maybe more than you realize. I didn't read this whole long thread but the opinion has been voiced that possibly Chicago is no longer able to support two teams. I don't agree with bashing the poster who started this thread. Attendance issues make Sox fans defensive, but last night they had 27,000 + to see the dynamic Pirates beat the Braves. The Sox couldn't at least equal that? The Pirates have an ownership group among the worst in baseball, and are headed for their 13th straight losing season. Three more and they tie the record. The economy has sucked since the 1960's. Pittsburgh is the champ of Rust Belt decay. On top of that it is one of the most football oriented MLB cities. It's time to quit making excuses. The 94 season, the white flag trade are now all ancient history. This owner will never sell the team. The team is 36-18. People need to start showing up. People notice, the baseball world sees this lack of support. I have posted this stuff before, but since no one seems to remember I will post it again. Attendance for April and May of 2005 was the highest since 1994. It is already up 10% over 2004 right now. And this is also factoring in how many ticket price increases since 1994? Attendance IS GOING UP. It is going up by double digit percentages, how many other teams can say that? It is irrational for people to expect with a season ticket base of about 10,000 people for an extra 30,000 people to be able to go to every single game. Find me a team that has gone from an average attendance of 20K a night to one that has gone to 35K a night. Find me any team EVER that has made that jump of attendance.

I want to put an end to all of this "I can't go to games, but I want to throw rocks at other glasshouses crap now" For all of you who like to complain about attendance, but claim to not to be able to go, how do you support your team? You do realize that merchandizing puts a ton of money into the team, right? Are you on whitesox.com all of the time ordering more jersies? Are you buying more hats? Or are you just on here complaining? If you were REALLY that concerned, you could find a way to put money in the teams pockets, instead of worrying about how other people are spending their money.

I'd like to seem him in the batters box, I guess he just can't run too fast though.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 07:15 AM) Now I wish he would let AJ call for a new pitcher . . . The funny this is that the "normal" way of managing is probably Marte for the 7th and Politte for the 8th. I wonder how that would have turned out in comparision? This was definatley a night to mark one up for Oz. He also trusted Hernandez through the 5th and 6th innings, which many managers might not have done when he put runners on again. If we are going to disparage Oz when his moves fail, it is time to note when they succeed.