southsider2k5

QUOTE(DonkeyKongerko @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 12:23 PM) I get the feeling Botch would be a pretty good heckler. I wonder if there's any pics of him out there. All he would have to do is listen to half the crap people yelled at him

QUOTE(TheBigHurt35 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 12:11 PM) The Cubs aren't drawing 40,000 "casual fans" per game. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'd estimate that their season ticket holder base is over 25,000 (the Sox's is down near 10,000). There are diehards on the North Side as well. No way they're getting 15,000 walk-ups per day. Relying on the casual team is a bad strategy, as teams that only rely on the casual fans are never going to average more than 30,000/game. Ultimately, the Sox are going to have to bring back the season ticket holder. And any fan is going to be more pissed off at a front office pulling the plug on competitive teams twice in a three-year span than one responsible for the 90-loss Cubs teams of the '90s. I'm not trying to justify the "boycotting on account of JR" mentality. Just pointing out the difference with regard to the Cubs. I can agree with most of that, but the point is the Sox have been trying to bring back the season ticketholder for 10 years, and it hasn't worked. Now they are trying to make new fans, which is the first step towards season tickets. Brooks talked about this at Soxfest. First you have to get fans into the ballpark, and those are the casual fans. Then you sell those fans more and more games, eventually turning them into small ticket plans, eventually you end up with your season ticketholders. Those fans that left 10 years ago were not casual fans if they have no come back by now. Casual fans don't hold grudges for 10 years. And if they have held a grudge for 10 years, they aren't going to comeback. There is no point in wasting the teams resources trying to bring them back, when they will do much better in competing for entertainment dollars from new fans. And I think we are seeing the results early with the jump in ticket sales, even before the first pitch was thrown.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Apr 6, 2005 -> 09:34 PM) I have no problem if they move the line back some, but I don't think it should go as far as the NBA distance. I just don't think it NEEDS to be done. Wouldn't hurt, but I don't see it as a major issue. I love the game as it is. I'd like to see the international line of 21'6" adopted personally.

QUOTE(Steff @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 11:56 AM) I never even pay attention to the intro.. just the game. What about the bullpen?

QUOTE(TheBigHurt35 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 12:00 PM) Where were these figures obtained? They are in today's Trib is where I saw them. USA today has a great database that has historical figures.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 11:38 AM) We are all sitting here discussing a Sun-Times columnist on a message board. So we are telling them that we read and discuss his columns. Why on earth would they let him go? CORRECT and X gets the square for the WINNER!

QUOTE(Soxnbears01 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 11:31 AM) is it? i'm in college and can't get down there for a game until maybe next weekend. so that's my reason, what's yours? He was banned from the park after running out onto the field

QUOTE(TheBigHurt35 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 10:27 AM) Actually, I'd argue that it's both. In MLB, teams that can't bring in enough revenue to pay for a talented team are at a serious disadvantage when going up against the big spenders (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cards, Dodgers, Giants, etc.). Reinsdorf and his crew pulled the plug on TWO competitive teams down the stretch ('94 and '97) and alienated A LOT of casual fans. Casual fans don't remember what happened 10 minutes ago, let alone 10 years. JR alienated the diehard fan, which is why the season ticket base has taken this long to begin to recover. Casual fans streamed to Wrigley dispite perpetual 90 loss teams. Casual fans continued to sell out the UC for 3 years after Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson got run out of town. Casual fans are just looking for the cool thing to do. That's why I think Brooks Boyer was a great hire for the Sox. Even if the diehards won't come back to Comiskey, make it cool for the casual fans to come out, and you won't need the diehards nearly as much. Look at Wrigley, even with the horror stories of how s***ty their fans get treated, they still get 40K a day, and still have people begging for tickets. Casual fans run that engine. The Sox are smart to try to tap that market.

QUOTE(Steff @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 10:54 AM) Just doing my "satanly" duties... [insert obligatory M-V-P Willie chant here]

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 10:28 AM) Worst bang for the buck...Phillies? Mets and Orioles have to be up there as well.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?t...storyID=8115314

QUOTE(danman31 @ Apr 6, 2005 -> 09:06 PM) For the record, the Barons posted their official roster on their website, and it was exactly how Bullard said it would be. Not that he would be wrong, but there could have been last minute changes I suppose. And knowing is half the battle.. Thanks Bull

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 10:05 AM) Probably 0, but it is a new era. I just hate any attendance discussion. If we aren't drawing on weekends in August, then let's worry about it, until then, lets just worry sbout the team on the field. Actually it is 2. 1960 and 1977. If you want to be technical the 13 biggest attendance years were under this ownership as were 16 of the top 17 in team history. And if you look at the chart attendance falls after the strike, but it falls to its lowest levels in 1998 and 1999, which just happens to correspond with the white flag years, and the years the Sox were not winning. Ownership is not the problem, winning is.

QUOTE(AnthraxFan93 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 09:57 AM) Or a new owner Care to guess how many times in the HISTORY of the Chicago White Sox that they averaged even 20,000 people before 1980?

China will not send representative in protest of Tai relations

Sainthood could be around the corner for Pope John Paul the great. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/297463p-254645c.html

JPII considered resigning during 2000

QUOTE(retro1983hat @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 09:39 AM) I don't know if it is quantifiable, but does anyone know what kind of TV ratings numbers the Sox draw vs. the rest of the league? I bet we are in the top 10 or so in that area. Maybe? I don't know about nationwide, but I know our numbers are always a fraction of our northerly neighbors.

QUOTE(JimH @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 09:08 AM) I found the Cubs # interesting. Maybe that doesn't include the Sosa obligation? I am pretty sure it does not. In the accompanying article it talks about how the Yankees payroll dips below $200 mil when the ARod payments from Texas are included. So with that in mind, it doesn't look like it.

QUOTE(mreye @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 09:00 AM) Oh, don't worry, I only use that in jest. Unless it's an intimate moment with SS2K5. Way to keep a secret blabby mcblabowitz

No thong pics?

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Apr 6, 2005 -> 10:04 PM) Dwight had 15 boards, 7 blocks, and 14 pts., so I wouldn't go as far as saying "owned." Very impressive for his age. 18 points and 22 rebounds for a guy that is no offensive thread what-so-ever is getting owned. Hell Antonio Davis also had a double-double, that should tell you something.

I get the joke, I am groaning, but I get it.

QUOTE(Steff @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 08:39 AM) Well aren't we in a good mood this morning.. He's just happy to see Willie succeed in a pressure situation

QUOTE(3E8 @ Apr 7, 2005 -> 08:34 AM) If you go to whitesox.com and watch the free plays of the game video clips, the Dye home run shows a view of the Sox dugout when Jermaine hits the ball and Paulie immediately goes nuts when the ball is hit. It was good to see. I saw the HR replays, Pauly's pitch was a centercut fastball that deserved to go 500 feet. Dye's HR was on something with a nasty down and in break to it. That was a great piece of hitting to hit that pitch as hard as he did, as it had dribbler to 3rd written all over it.