Dick Allen

The Orioles in on Maddux, taking this with a grain of salt because it is Gammons saying this, and if they sign Ivan Rodriquez, would probably leave Ponson out there for the taking. Maybe the Orioles sign all three. The Dodgers are going to need offense and all the options are coming off the boards. I still think Danny Evans is eventually going to have to return KW's calls.

Henry has spent money to improve Fenway, much like Reinsdorf did on old Comiskey when he purchased the team in 1981. From what I can tell, the majority of Red Sox fans are more attached to Fenway than hard core White Sox fans were to Comiskey. Eventually, Henry is going to have to do a total renovation to Fenway or build a new one, and unless he does it with his own money, his popularity will wane. Even if he does it with his own money, many won't like it. Hopefully it will be a little smoother and closer to budget than the Big Dig. Most White Sox fans have no idea that the new park was built with taxes collected from City of Chicago hotel rooms, so chances are they didn't cough up one penny for it, and they still go on and on about the park they built for Reinsdorf, which was built for a lot less than the other parks for which its compared and critiqued against. I did say fans will always hate owners, and while you have examples of some who may be admired by maybe even the majority, there is a significant amount who hate them. I also said especially in Chicago for the reasons I described in my earlier post.

Bud Adams owned a team in Houston, Modell owned a team in Cleveland. Why did they move, because cities built them stadiums and guaranteed them huge profits.The Maloof's do the same, which came out in a Chicago paper this week, and they will be hated in Sacramento. It just goes to show how much more character Reinsdorf has than most. He could move the Sox and be a hero in another town. Instead he stays here and is hated to the point people on this and other boards actually wish him death. Talk about sick. If it wasn't for Jerry Reinsdorf, no one would be talking about the Chicago White Sox. They would be long gone. It sounds like you're in Boston. Wasn't Kraft not so highly thought of when the Parcells fiasco took place? He probably got points just from relieving Patriot fans of Victor Kiam.

Bud Adams isn't too popular in Houston. John Henry has been around 1 season in Boston, its still a honeymoon, he wasn't very popular in South Florida. I read a lot of NY papers and Wellington Mara gets criticized a lot. Art Modell would get hung if he were in Cleveland. Even George Steinbrenner is hated. The Maloof boys may try a power play for a new stadium and use Las Vegas as the other city, that should end any popularity they have in Sacramento.

Polynice was drafted by Krause, and traded by Krause to Seattle for Pippen. Many also forget the 1994 team without Jordan was a horrible Hue Hollins call away from the NBA finals. A team entirely put together by Krause, screwed by Jordan, who retired right before training camp, leaving the Bulls unable to get a replacement. I know people will say Jordan quit because of the tragedy that happened with his father, but if you watch that ESPN century thing he says he knew he was quitting right after the game when they won the title. Krause didn't dismantle the team, Jordan and Jackson did. Jackson was offered the most lucrative coaching contract in history by JR, and he turned it down. Jordan said he would only play for Jackson, and he retired again. He also sliced some tendons in his right index finger that summer and would not have been able to play anyway.

Last time I checked, Jerry Reinsdorf -owned NBA teams have 6 more World Championships than Mark Cuban- owned teams.Reinsdorf, while not hated like he is with many Sox fans, was definetly not very appreciated by Bulls fans. When the Bears had their run, it was Ditka and the players overcoming the McCaskey family. I haven't heard 1 person say how wonderful it is of the Tribune company to open its wallet for the Cubs. Fans will never love owners, no matter how successful, especially in Chicago. When the team wins, its because of the players. When the team loses, management and ownership are to blame.

Actually the team got hot before the Alomar and Everett acquisitions, with Harris and Rowand in the line up, then when they got those 2 the team went in the tank for a little bit. It was the infamous Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit road trip. Your argument is a weak as the paper bag JM couldn't manage his way out of

Magglio shoots up to $14 million this year, the others are pretty much the same.Williamson is eligible for arbitration. The White Sox might save a million and have an extra player. I still can't see where this makes sense for Boston.

If Gammons said it wasn't dead, it must be dead.

That's fine. My point is he is getting paid a lot of money, more per year than most people will earn in a lifetime for the privelage of playing Major League Baseball. Getting paid the ungodly sums of money, and knowing full well you only have a limited time to play the game, you should be motivated enough to always be dedicated. Robbie Alomar has admitted he has had an attitude problem, and has not put in the sufficient work needed to play at the high level that was expected when his employers paid him a total of $16 million the last 2 seasons. Now he decides he wants to work hard. There is no defense for what he has admitted. He is a bum.

Harris is better than Hocking or Anderson. The White Sox aren't going to sign somebody, just to make a little news. Those 2 wouldn't help.

Norton is horrible. He hits .220 and may be the worst 3rd baseman of all time. Just say no.

Why does a guy who gets paid $8 million a year have to rededicate himself? He and/or his agent misread the market, and are trying to save face with the tried and true "winning situation" response. The fact that he does have to rededicate himself indicates a serious character flaw, if you ask me. I'm glad he's gone, and expect Willie Harris to shock the world this season.

I read that Mo needs knee replacement surgery. I would imagine he is done.

After KW gave him that big contract, he should be Paulie's best man.

His wife is hot.

Bruce Levineline is not a credible source. Williams likes to keep things quiet. Why would he tell Levineline whats going on so he can go on the radio and tell everyone? Levineline was so proud of himself that he was supposedly the first to report Jauron was canned, he let everybody know about it. He is a WGN wannabe.

Navarro has to be the worst. The best I think, even though he wasn't a major league free agent, but a free agent signing nonetheless was Magglio Ordonez who the Sox signed after some sort of tryout, and after another team, the Astros I believe, took a pass.

If the Sox still had Sosa, Magglio probably never would have gotten an opportunity to play. Schueler left him unprotected in the Rule 5 as it was, thank God nobody claimed him. If Sosa wasn't traded, and was still with the Sox, Magglio would have either been released or would have been a throw in in a trade to satisfy Schueler's annual quest for a catcher. The more you look at it, the worse Schueler's performance as GM becomes.

Doesn't exactly sound like the "grinder" type KW was looking to acquire. He has talent and still is very young though.

I think the Bobby Bonilla for Jose DeLeon trade wasn't that bad. DeLeon was sent to St. Louis for the One Dog who played a huge role in the Sox success in the early 90's. Bonilla was great when he returned to Pittsburgh.(The White Sox had claimed him in the Rule 5 draft), but he was a real cancer when he went to NY.

That Sirotka/Wells deal wasn't terrible. You may think it made KW look like a dirtbag, but I disagree. The Toronto doctors ok'd the trade after an examination of Sirotka, who will never pitch in the major leagues again. Wells was not good with the Sox, but if he helped Buerhle, then the deal goes from wash, considering Sirotka, Simmons, and Bierne, did nothing after the trade, to a KW win. The Ritchie trade was bad, Kip had as many wins as Ritchie did the year before, and was much younger and cheaper. The White Sox scouts , who once pegged K. Wells as a David Cone clone, thought Ritchie was Jon Lieber II, they were wrong. The Koch trade was bad as well, but many on this and the other boards loved it at the time it was done. Every GM makes some moves that are bad, but I think KW's problem has more to do with his pompous attitude, than the deals he makes. He has at least been average to better than average in the trades he has made. He stole Marte. The trades he made last summer were bold. The Colon deal was great, although most don't want to give him any credit, thinking it was a gift from the Yankees.

Then how can the White Sox have 11 teams below them when Uribe is the only player they added?

They have Baltimore #2. That thing is crazy. How could anyone, with the possible exception of Milwaukee, be rated lower than Detroit?

The White Sox built a very competitive team in 2003. They were in first place in the middle of September. Their attendance was about half a million below average. What evidence to you have that Sox fans will support a competitive team?