Texsox

If all goes well this won't matter in two years.

I thought it was a law firm

We usually blame that on the poor coaching throughout our system. Obviously it's impossible to pin this on one thing or he could have fixed in immediately. But most anyone, in any job, will struggle to perform their best when their life goes to crap.

Can we agree that having two families splashed all across the media is stressful for most people and possibly a contributing factor?

Guaranteed Deficit Field

I agree. I was going to write no boos but there's a few in every crowd. I should have looked at the schedule since it won't happen this year.

He's got the hometown, he's looking for a roadie.

I think he needs to go through the humble loop. "I'm just happy for the opportunity, just want to play hard and help my team, I'll miss the fans in Chicago, etc" and stay out of the limelight. He won't receive a Liam welcome in his first game back as a visitor, but it shouldn't be filled with too many boos.

He needed a change of scenery. Fans in Miami will be pulling for him. It's a fresh start. I'm glad we didn't lock him into some $300 mil, play for us until retirement, contract extension a couple years ago. I wonder if Miami's offer was going up or down as the season opener for closer.

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teams/wsoxatte.shtml For those interested. Average AL

I'm thinking you can't beat fun at the ballpark and they hit the 2,000,000 mark again.

Robins in the yard and the diamond club is open. Soon the roar of the bats, the smell of the crowd.

That has to be a part of it. It would also be nice to know what the player and agents are telling teams. If Tim (for example) is (hypothetically) demanding a five year deal, it's no wonder he's still sitting at home. If he's hypothetically telling teams he'll play on a one year incentive loaded contract then something is very fishy. The reality is probably somewhere in between. I could see him holding out for a three year deal expecting someone to need him that bad. How can teams piss away $4 mil on scrubs yet collude on bigger issues? All reality and normal business practices just get suspended.

Teams can see how their spring training is going, perhaps evaluate players that are already in their system to see if they are MLB ready, or sign a free agent. Right now if a contending team's starting shortstop wakes up with an injury Tim is in a nice spot. Making free agent players ineligible at some point to play seems like a harsh punishment for the player.

But it's not amazing how much bad owners can make. That's about a hundred times more.

Taxpayer Field

Depth is a luxury that this franchise will never have. We have had at least three positions each year with well below MLB average players as starters. I don't believe they are capable of fixing that. Now toss in viable players as bench and MiLB? I'm done with that dream.

I don't think it's an all or nothing proposition. In the past two years I've reached a point that I don't schedule my vacations around home stands, I don't make every attempt to watch every game. I've flipped from the Sox game to watch the Rangers or Astros. They are still my favorite team but they have lost my loyalty. If that means I shouldn't call myself a fan, I'm fine with that. If the standard is face paint and tattoos for every game, I'm certainly not. If applauding every mistake and poor decision is the barometer, then I'm out as well. My current number 1 team is a high school team.

Can we compute a negative fraction?

In the spirit of your post . . . I love your perspective! It's the right mix of die-hard Sox spirit and tongue-in-cheek realism that any true fan can appreciate. Here are some witty responses you can build on: 1. Embrace the "Stay-Puft" spirit: "You had me at 'motivated clubhouse' until you hit me with the Moncada-as-cancer bit. But hey, if we're channeling Ghostbusters, let's go full Stay-Puft! We might melt under the pressure, but at least we'll go down in a sticky, sugary blaze of glory." 2. Channel your inner Eloy: "Eloy might not be able to outrun a sloth anymore, but hey, maybe that just means he'll finally have the patience to wait for a good pitch! Plus, with all that extra weight, he can double as a human battering ram at first base. Who needs stolen bases when you can just knock down the entire outfield wall?" 3. Celebrate the "no-name" bullpen: "No-name bullpen? Sounds like the perfect opportunity for some underdog magic! They'll come out of nowhere, throwing heat like Mariano Rivera in his prime, fueled by nothing but hot dogs and a burning desire to prove everyone wrong. Just imagine the headlines: 'No-Name Bullpen Becomes MLB's Most Feared Unit, Strikes Fear into Hearts of Opposing Batters.'" 4. Poke fun at the "doomsayers": "The doomsayers can keep drowning their sorrows in Goose Island IPA while we're busy celebrating unexpected walk-off wins and improbable comebacks. They wouldn't know a pennant race if it hit them in the face with a foul ball (which, knowing this team, is entirely possible)." 5. Keep it light and optimistic: "Look, maybe we won't win the World Series. Maybe we'll still spend most nights staring longingly at the crosstown rivals across the street. But hey, at least we'll have each other, shared groans at questionable ump calls, and the eternal hope that next year will be different. And who knows, maybe this year will be different. After all, even Stay-Puft had a soft spot for marshmallows." Remember, the key is to laugh along with the absurdity while holding onto that glimmer of hope. Go Sox! (But maybe pack an umbrella for all those Stay-Puft tears...just in case.

Their job is to aquire talent. You're talent. I would go head first and call them at their office. But my background is sales and I didn't do much cold calling but being direct and enthusiastic with lots of research was key.

You know you will get 100% every time he steps on the field. He'll be prepared. I wish him the best.

In this case the fans around them did talk. No one around the victim saw or heard a gunshot. I believe them. Folks get caught with guns in restricted areas every day. Bars, banks, schools, stadiums. If they are otherwise law abiding citizens they receive a warning. We don't lock up folks on their first offense. We don't lock up folks for what might happen. I agree with everything you believe should happen. I disagree that there is some conspiracy at work. The Sox didn't need to silence this. They just needed this to be handled like gun business as usual in America. And the deck was stacked against this ever being solved. Witnesses that didn't see or hear anything. A victim that isn't screaming for justice. (Also leads me to believe it was an accidental shot from a friend) Lax punishments if someone was caught. Unless a terrorist. Overworked cops with even more serious crimes. Poor crime scene actions.

I agree. That's what should happen. It's not what I consider lower level, it's what the justice departments consider it. As I said let's vote for politicians that will change that. But that doesn't happen in 'merica.

I like that. Actually there is another team that could use it The 2024 Chicago Light Sox