caulfield12

ALL I remember was almost blowing the Paniagua game, losing next two....then getting absolutely eviscerated by Minny down the stretch. Thome vs. Thornton and Hunter vs. Burke. Not fun.

Didn't exactly light it up the first month, but haven't followed him much recently.

Well, we had our own version of Mike Trout for forty games. Then the baseball gods smited us for getting overconfident.

Sad that such a promising season a week ago has come to this. Even when we get to the postseason we only have 2005 to hold onto, thankfully because 1983, 93, 2000, not that fun. And the final week of 2008. Not even sure when/if Robert can right the ship.

game thread more fun than the game... especially with Yahoo article comments sidelined indefinitely

and moot as well

But Uribe had the game of his career that day.

Do you still really believe we can now (the next 3-5 years) win a World Series, in spite of both Renteria and Cooper? That we have the talent to overcome their shortcomings, all other things being equal?

Then for once pick the next guy like Jirschele who COULD quickly become one... I’m not so sure guys like Cora, Hinch, Roberts, Beltran, etc., are superstars. Bochy, Showalter, Scioscia, Girardi and Maddon fit that bill to a T.

I don’t get how we can so quickly cut bait on pitchers but never guys like EE or Mazara... Hahn stubbornness? Like having to prove we were right about Rodon after all this time...that he could be the next Andrew Miller, blah blah. Well, maybe if he had any fastball command, could throw sliders with runners on base without wild pitches/PB and not continue to walk at least 1 hitter per inning. Finally, we reward Engel’s big hit this week by starting Dyson, who can no longer steal a base at will?

They were always so proud to cite Hahn as the highest paid “second in command“ before taking over the GM reigns in 2013. Can anyone explain why we’ve never had a manager paid in/among the Top Five salaries in MLB since arguably the late 1950’s/early 1960’s (Lopez)? And how in God’s name can the Indians and Royals (Yost at $3.7 million in his final season) afford to do that, with two of the lowest MLB regional broadcasting rights deals? When you throw in Baldelli, Matheny and Gardenhire into the mix, we’re likely fifth in managerial salaries despite having the biggest market in the AL Central. If it’s close, the salary battle will be Baldelli vs. Renteria.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/18/sports/joe-espada-manager.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-joe-espada-things-to-know-20191023-trgvioydhvcdvfkgrv7ugq6i44-story.html Pay close attention to Point 8. https://jaysjournal.com/2018/10/20/blue-jays-joe-espada-case/ https://metsmerizedonline.com/2019/10/mets-manager-candidate-joe-espada.html/ https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/While-awaiting-chance-to-manage-Joe-Espada-vital-15071990.php

Salary: $4.2 million Team: Cleveland Indians (2020) Record: 1,667–1,409 Accolades: 2× World Series champion (2004, 2007), 2× AL Manager of the Year (2013, 2016) Terry Francona has proven to be one of the greatest masterminds in the history of baseball. He's got a bit of the Midas' touch when it comes to developing winning cultures wherever he's gone. That's why the Cleveland Indians don't mind paying him $4.2 million a year in hopes he can replicate the success he had at Fenway Park. He's going to be highly coveted once his contract runs out. Should also be noted Yost at $3.7 million, Scioscia at $6 million and Maddon at $6 million, Bruce Bochy at $6 million. https://us.bolavip.com/mlb/highest-mlb-manager-salaries-ever-20200723-0003.html Girardi and Maddon might both be higher than that right now, fwiw. Francona deal runs through 2022, right around the time Indians would lose Lindor and Jose Ramirez. Finally, should Sox fans now add up all the money we’ve wasted on free agency over that time, as well as Hahn/KW combined salaries and Don Cooper? Can’t we just once have a “top five” manager in our lifetimes? Why do we always get sloppy seconds, or thirds, in the case of Robin Ventura?

Bob Geren Mike Scioscia Justin Jirschele Ron Gardenhire Carlos Beltran Alex Cora (connection through brother) Alomar, Jr. AJ Hinch (former Sox draft pick, unlikely) Joe Espada Mark Loretta Sam Fuld Bruce Bochy??? Buck Showalter (Farmio would have been pissed) Hensley Meulens Ron Washington Jeff Banister Ned Yost (just because I think that we need to institute that aggressive style of play on the basepaths and defense/bullpen-first closing out mentality, not a great strategic manager by any sense) Nick Madrigal's former OSU head coach...just because nobody could be worse, at the moment, definitely a proven winner Jim Thome??? someone connected to the Cuban national team/Jose Contreras/El Duque, spitballin'...? Now we at least have a somewhat realistic list of names to discuss (from).

EXCEPT FOR SALARY.

Do we have the latest reports from Jon Greenberg on Sox tv ratings boost this year?

Thanking god I had classes to teach in China and could only follow the predictable debacle through Gameday. Hope we don't have to spend the entire winter ruminating on Robert's failures down the stretch. We can't even get a season ticket boost the way the world is trending... life as a White Sox fan never fails to come up with surprises on the downside, does it?

That will always by definition be the case for the fan bases of 29 out of 30 teams, yes? Yes, expectations being raised exponentially by last week's results and then falling off a cliff (and out of first so suddenly) certainly has something to do with it. Half of it's about Renteria, the other half over Moncada/Robert's "ongoing" (into 2020) concerns. That and the usual skepticism about adding significant free agents, RF, for example. We do at least have Vaughn/Kopech/Crochet to look forward to, in order to keep the excitement level dialed up a notch.

I'll just take the VS as Victoria's Secret Angels show and move on...

Indians ALWAYS seem to be better managed and their front office is Top 5 in the game for their limited resources. They've lost Kluber, Bauer and Clevinger now...for various reasons, and still managing to go into the playoffs as a VERY dangerous team despite so many offensive deficiencies across that roster. It's amazing when you look at how limited their budgets have been...and look at their record of success ever since Francona was brought into the fold. Yet we're always completely BLIND to the benefits of having that upper-tier manager and spending the money...we'd rather just give it away in FA to Manny's Friends and Family and this year to more mostly garbage after Keuchel.

Not even sure it can buy you two-for-one discount cockatoos or parakeets at the local PetCo...

Look how quickly the Indians pulled Bieber...if anything, the Indians SHOULD have cared less about that final result tonight than the White Sox, but they played like the much more relaxed team with nothing to lose. We're obviously pressing at this point.

If they can go 2-2 to finish the season, there's hope still. 1-3 or 0-4, that's all she wrote... Sure, momentum is defined by that day's starting pitcher, and we still have Giolito and Keuchel on our side, to hopefully win at least one of the first two games, individually, but is there anyone who actually trusts Cease/Dunning/Lopez in a possible 3rd game?

Yet if you were to conduct a poll RIGHT now, 90+% would still expect Renteria and Cooper to both be back next season, along with McEwing...god knows what's going on with Robert/Moncada, but it's hard for me to blame Menechino with the offensive numbers the team has put together this year, especially considering the Hahn FA acquisitions other than Keuchel and McCann has been BOTTOM 3 in all of MLB since he started as a GM with the now infamous Jeff Keppinger acquisition.

1. Robert 2. Moncada 3/4. Mazara/EE 5. Grandal isn't exactly lighting it up....he's been "okay" at best, overall, in the same way that David Robertson was "okay" considering how much he was being paid. He's definitely not KILLING the team, but he's far from the best catcher in baseball that his statistics recently would have indicated, with the exception of Realmuto in PHILLY.