Dick Allen

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 10:24 PM) What do you want your manager to do? You know how many hours they spend at the park? Ozz has time to f*** around. Like he said, let the coaches do the things they are paid for. The manager is the organizer. I wouldn't read scads of stats on the Internet either, if I were Ozzie. His track record suggests his style works. I think Ozzie would have to learn how to read to be able to read scads of stats on the internet.

Is Flowers in to give AJP a break against a LHP, or is Flowers going to become Peavy's personal catcher since it appears AJ and Jake don't look like they would really enjoy having a couple of beers with each other.

Hopefully he's OK.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 12:44 PM) Between variable/dynamic ticket pricing schemes and the secondary ticket market, tickets should be available at a price that fans think is just. And given that that are several tiers of seating, there should be a “right price” for anyone who is interested in going to a game. Yet, by the looks of it, fans are not buying. In trying to generate ticket sales, teams and consultants have responded with all sorts of programs. These programs basically adjust ticket prices according to daily demand and then variously reach out to both avid and casual fans. This way, with variable/dynamic ticket pricing, team decision-makers effectively end-up reacting in “real-time” rather than having to predict weeks or months in advance what will be the demand for a specific game. This seems rational and is essentially the thinking that the pricing strategies are based on. But it’s worth pointing out that these strategies may have two key design flaws, both of which can be fixed: 1) The first flaw is that there may be too many choices. Conventional wisdom is that human beings prefer to have as many options as possible because its gives us the freedom to choose. (Isn’t it also the American way to have the opportunity to choose, apple pie in hand, to purchase tickets to a baseball game from either an official team website or secondary market websites—and at a price that has been set by the “free market”? The excitement is almost too much to bear.) And that may be the problem. As the psychologist Barry Schwartz has explained, choosing between 175 types of salad dressing tends to paralyze a person’s decision-making and leave that person dissatisfied. Can the same be said for ticket sales, especially when they include a daily (sometimes hourly) fluctuation in price? 2) The second flaw is that the pricing schemes ultimately shift the burden of pricing decision and activity from the franchise (the producer) to the fan (the customer). With variable/dynamic ticket pricing, fans are in a way tasked with trying to determine what is the right price for a ticket and, therefore, are effectively being put to work. Or may be this way of getting tickets is now fully integrated into “the experience.” Also, in the long-run, variable/dynamic ticket pricing may tax franchise personnel more than establishing ticket prices in the off-season and sticking with them for the 162-game slate. The traditional way requires relatively long-range planning, and is grounded in knowing what customers consider value and organizing to anticipate how they might react to the team’s performance throughout a season. Now, with variable/dynamic ticket pricing, the planning has switched to the short-term; the only real long-term consideration is which formula will be used in the season-long pricing strategy. How many successful businesses focused on “making numbers” today while sacrificing the needs of tomorrow—and existed long enough to tell about it? The general point is this: stop making ticket sales so confusing. http://www.forbes.com/sites/sportsmoney/20...mlb-attendance/ FWIW, White Sox tv ratings were 25th in 2010. Too many choices is pretty good. I take a bus to work in the morning. A lady always gets on the bus in front of me. If the bus is empty, it takes her until the next stop to find a seat. If there are only a couple open, she sits down before the bus moves.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 12:14 PM) That's why it's always double-talk to complain about attendance when it's not fans they want, it's fans that pay the "maximized" or idealized amount of money (from the Sox standpoint) to attend games...which isn't really fair in this economy to criticize anyone with a family for hesitating. Even if their attendance "exploded" comparatively from here on out, the best they would possibly do is 23rd in the majors. They're 27th now...and more than 500 away from 26 and 25. It will be pretty tight by the end of the Cubs' series, but they'll still be 27th despite their best drawing home series of the year. That alone is pretty indicative of how the attendance has been so far. I agree. The fact that they are using Groupon and have different "deals" weekly does show they realize their pricing is screwed up. I do understand and agree they shouldn't alienate their season ticketholders and give someone a better deal for the same seat type the season ticketholder bought for multiple games months before the season started, although the Sox for years have never given season ticketholders a break for half price Monday tickets. Maybe if dynamic pricing wasn't used, attendance would be the same and revenue would be lower. I just find that hard to believe. They are letting too many seats go unsold which leaves empty parking spots, unsold beer and hot dogs and t-shirts.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 11:57 AM) More than the bleacher seats? I'd bet that is a nice midpoint. I don't think so, but if you're correct, any talk about empty seats by White Sox employees should be banned.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 11:42 AM) Why? 33k at those price points is way better than filling up the place with $5 upper deck seats in terms of revenue. The vast majority of the 33k paid nowhere near this pricepoint.They are tickets bought when they went on sale. Instead of leaving the price where they could still probably sell out, they are trying to train people to buy tickets way in advance unless they want to pay scalper's prices. Judging by the White Sox attendance, the training has been a disaster. People would rather stay home than pay the scalper price.

QUOTE (ewokpelts @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 11:27 AM) still plenty of tix left. and they're WEEKEND GAMES! meanwhile, sox failed to sell out the cub game last night. again. $49 to sit upstairs sure packs them in brooks! Its $90.45 for bleachers tonight. Brooks needs to avoid the person who turned him on to dynamic pricing.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 11:05 AM) I voted that KW should have done exactly what he did, despite the way things had been working so far this year. But therein lies the problem...Sale/Peavy/Quintana can't possibly be as good as they have been, and have tons of room for regression and/or being shut down prematurely due to their previous work totals in 2010 and 2011. Humber, Floyd, Axelrod, Stewart, Castro, don't have anywhere to go but up, same with Hudson/3B. At best, it's probably a wash. Which is more likely, for Peavy/Quintana to fall back or for Humber/Floyd to post 3.5-4.5 ERA's in the heart of summertime at USCF? There's no reason to think Floyd won't be better. He does this every year. Humber is scary. As for Sale and Peavy, Quintana regressing, it probably will happen, but the Sox hitters also benefit from the summer air. It really doesn't matter if they will 4-2 or 6-4.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 10:44 AM) The attendance problem isn't that difficult to figure out. It has been on a steady decline since 2005. Even them squeaking into the playoffs in 2008 didn't give it a boost because they've missed the post-season every year since. Expectations going into this season weren't that great and I'm guessing the season ticket base is pretty low right now. Maybe around 10,000 or so. The only thing that's going to boost attendance is consistent and sustained winning year after year. Make the playoffs 4 times in 5 years instead of 19 and you'll see a big difference. A hot streak that lasts a couple of weeks isn't going to make a difference. I don't know why everyone expects it to. The White Sox could sell out every game if they so choose, even if their team is bad. In the end, it all comes down to price. Sox fans will pay good money to watch a historically good team play. They will not pay good money to watch a bad team or a team that might be good that they aren't sold on. The issue with attendance this year, IMO, is obviously the mass exodus of season ticket accounts, and then pricing. Its $90.45 for a bleacher seat tonight on ticketmaster. Tough to sell out with the current roster, current expectations and price. If the Sox made every ticket $1, they would sell out every game. Maybe what they charge is maxing out their income. I doubt it. I think their pricing mechanism needs a real good look. The sooner the better.

Dan Johnson can't play 3B very well and hasn't hit at the major league level in 5 years. He's probably a worse choice than McPherson.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 09:41 AM) Isn't there a theory that if you look hard enough you will find some sort of injury to a pitcher's arm. I am hoping that is what this is and in 3 weeks he will feel better. I've heard of this theory. I've also read that eventually if they pitch long enough, every pitcher will suffer some sort of major arm injury. Some it happens almost immediately. Some it takes 20 years. The only ones who avoid it are the ones it would have taken longer than the length of their careers.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 19, 2012 -> 09:20 AM) I'm not going to guarantee the Royals over the White Sox, but do you really believe with Danks out for probably two months that the White Sox should be favored over a Tigers team that just got back Fister and Austin Jackson? Many have been crying recently that Danks was given a contract extension. Now that he's for a little while, that shouldn't be used as a reason the team can't hang with Detroit. They have been hanging with them without Danks being healthy, and Floyd and Humber being horrible up until now. If Floyd or Humber or both bounces back and Danks returns healthy, the Sox will be fine. There's also no guarantee Detroit remains healthy.

The Sox have 3 runs. Holding even the Cubs to 2 or 3 on a night like tonight wouldn't be easy with anyone on the mound. Get the pounding out of the way and start a winning streak tomorrow.

This new Cubs hitting coach is pretty awesome.

According to the Tribune, KW suggested to the coaching staff Viciedo return to 3B. The coaching staff shot him down.

QUOTE (Baron @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 06:33 PM) Something is clearly wrong with Danks. I dont like how these MRI results havent been disclosed yet. I don't know why the Sox would hold out releasing the results just because they were bad. The person evaluating the MRI probably wasn't available to evaluate. Its not unusual for it to take 24 hours. KW was on the pregame show, and unless he's a real great actor, he appeared to not know the result. He said he thinks its general soreness, that Danks said he was feeling better and the MRI wasn't taken because they suspect something wrong, it was just to cover all the bases.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 09:21 PM) Sorry you are not upset about whatever clown decided to give this game away. Again, Stewart was the Sox most effective pitcher tonight. I don't know who else should have started. Bumping Peavy and Sale back is more helpful in the long run.

This would never have happened if Ozzie were managing.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 09:16 PM) Notice how Jones sucks when you don't give him enough time to warm up. He should have been well warmed up when he gave up the homer.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 09:15 PM) Forgive me for being so mad I could punch the wall. I feel we CONCEDED tonight's game against a fellow Chicago team in OUR PARK by pitching Zach. God I'm mad. Zach was the Sox most effective pitcher tonight.

Nate's ERA is taking a beating tonight.

Nate BP Jones tonight.

LOL at Stone. "It will go as a very wild pitch"

QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Jun 18, 2012 -> 09:03 PM) Did he take BP at the Cell tonight? Yes he did. He said he hit pretty well. He used to weigh 275. His older brother whipped him into shape.