caulfield12

Sure, but the cable industry has suffered from competition from direct streaming, Fubo, Netflix, Disney, all of the major networks, Paramount, YouTube, DirecTV, DISH Network, it's not like there aren't OTHER options now...not unlike the cable and phone companies having HAD the advantage on providing internet access after the original America Online "monopoly" was wiped out. Not unlike the monopoly of ATT/MaBell over landline phone services twenty years or so ago. Monopolies that are non-responsive to customer needs eventually will get innovated away, out of existence, essentially. The current start-up costs in that (barriers to entry) in the cable industry would be prohibitively expensive as well. Let's look at the opposite approach here in China...the government has subsidized the e-vehicle industry to the point where there are legitimately 200+ competing entities all innovating but running into brick walls trying to sell their cars "at a fair price" in US, Europe, Canada, through Mexico, etc. What's the "fair advantage" a government can provide any industry where it isn't disadvantageous to the rest of the world...and despite the larger point that putting more e-vehicles on the road is a positive externality that will greatly benefit the rest of the world in not having to rely on Russia/Middle Eastern petroleum AND dealing with the negative impacts of catastrophic climate change. In the end, you always end up with an oligopoly-like type situation in the end: it could be the provision of cellular phone services, it could be food delivery apps (China is down to 2 major ones), it could be insurance providers or large scale competitors with Amazon/Wal-Mart or Uber vs. Didi (Chinese app) here. Is the provisioning of cable services exactly the same as gas/water/lights-electricity...that are all basically government subsidized monopolies? Well, not exactly...we're now into the area of societal needs vs. wants. But it seems like the cable industry monopoly has basically come crashing to a halt in almost every major market due to consumer choices...

Because you still can't get to the postseason every year with the Rays' opener/bullpen heavy usage approach. You need at least 3-4 quality starters to handle the bulk of the workload. Look at how many starts Lugo Singer Wacha Ragans made for KC last year. And if you destroy your bullpen in August and September you're toast in October anyway.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41909178/los-angeles-dodgers-use-michael-kopech-game-6-opener

The Royals look a lot smarter now than previously simply for being in the right position to draft Witt Jr and out spending pretty much the entire AL Central in the off season....certainly their three main competitors. That said...at least they picked some of the right additions, especially on the pitching side. And getting Ragans, one of the 5-10 best starters in the AL now for Ragans was a coup as well.

So basically the situations are nothing alike. Got it. Great refutation. So basically cable companies are even worse than the likes of JR, Boyer and Schiffren. That's pretty a pretty tough act to pull off...basically the worst cable company of all-time is the bar. So we should blame MLB instead of the McCourts? "MLB calculates that 34 percent of a team’s local revenue, after subtracting costs, is available for redistribution throughout the league. When the Dodgers were mired in bankruptcy last year, the league agreed to value the potential TV rights of any future deal at $84 million the first year, rising 4 percent every year thereafter. Over 25 years, that estimated TV rights revenue of $3.5 billion." https://apnews.com/dodgers-secure-7b-tv-rights-deal-with-tw-cable-b4f6228e7358451eb4ca4dde50df9a4a Except the Dodgers got something like $7 billion from Time Warner Cable...

Feels like that is 75% on Hahn and KW for being so complacent and simultaneously at cross purposes.

You mean 2000-2009 here I think...bssically all the KW teams except for 2010/12/Adam Dunn.

They “only” signed a five year RSN extension back in 2019…thinking the White Sox would be right in the middle of their unprecedented contention window to go right back and renegotiate much higher carriage fees…not in a million years anticipating 2023-24’s bottoming out. Let’s not forget how things looked in 2019…Hahn was named AL Executive of the Year and it was between the Sox Padres and Blue Jays to dominate the baseball world for years to come. Even in August, 2021…after the Field of Dreams TA walk-off win against the Yankees.

https://www.abi.org/feed-item/dodgers-fans-to-judge-call-mccourt-out https://bleacherreport.com/articles/742451-mlb-one-step-closer-to-forcing-the-sale-of-the-los-angeles-dodgers First of all, it was a past Dodgers’ ownership group well before the current one…and it was about screwing over anyone in their path for the McCourts to afford to get divorced. Those monies partially led to the financial behemoth that is the Dodgers today, going on 12 consecutive seasons in the playoffs and 11 NL West division titles. Next, JR is getting how much money from this deal for the White Sox? $2+ billion versus $50 million? $75 million? $100 million for the Bulls and Sox??? I might have more faith in Trump’s media SPAC returning a profit than this current Sox endeavor generating an advertising bonanza. The Bulls might have the #1 attendance…but that’s still apparently not enough leverage. Reinsdorf and the Blackhawks just assumed that Comcast would cave in to their demands. And it’s not like anyone watching Marquee since the Cubs’ 2015-16 dynasty imploded believes that the Cubs’ own network has been hugely profitable. They lost a lot of viewers not making the playoffs in 2023 and then basically making cosmetic changes other than Imanaga and bringing Bellinger back for a season, but those were rightly perceived as half-measures. The other irony is that one of the few growth opportunities in sports is the WNBA (2024 revenues up $140 million, not counting the new broadcasting deal) and Reinsdorf screwed himself there as well by demonstrating absolutely zero interest in the Sky.

Except Machado is likely on a HoF track still. Merrill went from a 19-20 year old SS to a RoY and nearly a GG CFer. Arraez did about as expecting winning a third batting title...same with Scott and Adam and the pen acquisitions replacing Hader. Cease was better until the postseason. King greatly improved from his Yankees' form where he was critically under appreciated. Profar Peralta Solano Estrada Higashioka out performed. It really comes down to the Musgrove/Danish injuries and personal issues...and under performance from Bogaerts (signed through age 40), Cronenworth and Tatis being about 100 ops points off his previous 959 career ops entering 2023. A star in many rights from an MLB marketing standpoint, like an Angel Reese WNBA foil or villain...but not one of the Top 5 or so players in the game. More like #15-25. And if they had been able to convince a Judge or other premiere players to go west two years ago...they wouldn't have made the desperation move for Bogaerts IMO (the Sox equivalent of ending up with Keuchel instead of Wheeler, or a certain steak and potatoes eating weight-challenged pitcher). That's a really really scary contract going forward that is going to cascade downward. Franchise crippling.

Unless their case to the city was that they're no longer a competitive franchise even when "generously" attempting to give their product away...and hence the need for a new stadium? Imagine if the White Sox didn't have the "lazy leverage"of the Bulls and the Blackhawks? And isn't this actually going to start driving Bulls' in person attendance down from the top tier of the NBA? Almost seems like the act of giving the product away for free might have the unintended of suppressing local and regional in person attendance for the Bulls/Blackhawks until/unless the teams could provide a compelling enough on field product.

They weren't going to get the double play regardless but maybe Torres hits into one.

And the 85 Bears and 2016 Cubs were one and done winners might as well throw those out too. And only ones that count are the Jordan three-peats lol... White Sox fans should have just given up in 1950-67 after all those second and third place finishes to NY. Should all just be Yankees' fans. Except this is their first World Series in fifteen years and the team won't be the same next year without Soto.

He didn't play this way for SD. He was below average defensively...and not clutch, and slow. But something happens to players when they put on Yankees and now Dodgers uniforms to elevated their games to another level. And then the FA walk year salary drive. Another $25-30 million right there added to the package.

JR won't be bidding on Juan Soto either.

Rocchio again...

Iowa State survives to fight another day...had 4th and 10 late and bailed out by pass interference in the RZ. Trailed 28-14 late against UCF at home...pretty much behind the entire game.

Jake Cousins with 4 k's across four hitters...

One can only hope that Chris Getz wins the 2029 AL Executive of the Year a decade after Hahn's.

The Pods trade was all about injecting speed at the top of the lineup...and buying a player at lowered value, along with Luis Vizcaino. All of that money for offense first players Lee Ordonez Valentin was then spread across AJ Dye F.Garcia Pods Iguchi Hermanson El Duque and a slew of others. Was never about just Lee for Pods...was all about changing the composition of the roster and having a team that could also manufacture runs and win close games.

Hahn's disappearing act from the public eye he enjoyed so much speaks volumes.

Garland was a top prospect, though. Pods was first or second with Milwaukee in RoY voting. By these kinds of arguments, Buehrle the most unlikely to be a stud when drafted. Iguchi AJ Dye all undervalued assets.

Seems like Schiffren has been coaching the Miami Louisville announcers...

The Padres resuscitated his career…he just got caught up in a numbers game. Whereas this Sox pen in 2024 always had 2-3 guys on it at any time that weren’t really legit big leaguers.

Cubs 38% Dem 31% GOP 31% Independent White Sox tie for third most Democratic fan % behind the Mets and Dodgers 41% Dem 29% GOP 30% Independent https://www.statista.com/statistics/1174866/political-affiliation-mlb-fans/ Rangers Braves Astros Cardinals Rockies five most conservative fanbases