Lip Man 1

Very true, they are is real deep s%*#.

October 10, 1924 - The White Sox and New York Giants began their second barnstorming tour together. This world tour started in 1924 in Canada and would sail the Atlantic to promote the game in France, England, Ireland, Germany and Italy. Most of the exhibition games were hardly visited. The absolute low was a game in Ireland where only 20 persons attended the game. Eventually, the tour would be cut short due to the lack of appreciation and understanding for the sport in England and France. Just like with the 1913-14 world tour, King George V of England attended the games. These games were the only ones that were well attended as 24,000 people were in the stands. October 10, 2021 – Things did not look good for the Sox in game #3 of the A.L.D.S. against Houston. The Astros led 5-1 and the White Sox were on the verge of elimination. Then everything changed. The Sox rose from the dead scoring five runs in the third inning, three more in the fourth and went on to win 12-6. Finally, after the first 20 hits by the team in the playoff series were all singles, they got a two-run home run from Yasmani Grandal and then a three-run blast from Leury Garcia to turn the game around. Starting a playoff series with 20 straight singles broke the previous Major League record of 19 set by the Angels. Four White Sox bullpen pitchers then threw five hitless innings to close the door on any Astros comeback. Sox pitchers wound up striking out 16 Astros which also set a franchise mark for a playoff game.

Agreed.

October 9, 1919 - The Sox unexpectedly lost the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds five games to three. Sox fans, reporters and some players were totally shocked over the way some games were lost. The questions surrounding this series, one of the greatest upsets in baseball history would linger for a year before exploding into the “Black Sox” scandal as eight players were put on trial for attempting to deliberately lose games and defraud the public. October 9, 1993 - In game #4 of the 1993 A.L.C.S. the Sox squared the best of seven series at two games each with a 7-4 win in Toronto. Tim Belcher who was acquired in a July trade got the win in relief of Jason Bere. Unfortunately, this was the last great moment for the "Good Guys Wear Black" as Toronto closed out the series winning game #5 in Toronto and game #6 at Comiskey Park. A few years later Toronto manager Cito Gaston revealed that the Jays knew exactly what pitches were coming from both Sox aces, Jack McDowell and Alex Fernandez something the Sox coaching staff never picked up on. In fact, Toronto beat those pitchers four times while losing all the other games.

Your assumption is that NBC Sports Chicago will no longer be around and that all their equipment would be available to be purchased by WGN. No guarantees along those lines. NBC Sports Chicago may have other plans for that equipment or it could potentially be outdated given the latest technology. All I'm saying is there are no guarantees. I suspect WGN would have little interest in getting back into the sports business unfortunately.

In the rare times that JR has spoken publicly about this he has been consistent. He has told his family that when he passes they should keep the Bulls and sell the White Sox. He has said the Bulls make Michael (Reinsdorf) money because of the salary cap/structure in the NBA, the Sox do not because there is no salary cap. (Most business sites feel the notion that he hasn't made money with the Sox even without a salary cap is posturing.) I've been told by some who have knowledge of the situation that most likely when JR leaves his estate will put the team up for sale and more than likely be bought by a corporation. Those folks have told me they have a hard time thinking a single individual will buy the club because of the price tag. The latest Forbes estimate had the Sox valued at 1.75 billion dollars.

The first point in your dream sequence is interesting. Now that WGN has been out of the sports business for several seasons now I wonder if they'd be willing to spend the millions of dollars needed to buy production trucks, equipment and hire all the technical individuals needed to actually go back to airing games. I suspect they nor the other stations you mentioned would do so. Overall I think it would be nice if some of your wishes were brought back but regardless of whomever owns the club those ideas have sailed into never-never land and they aren't coming back. I'm sure their rational would be, "This isn't 1958, 1965 or 1972 anymore...deal with it."

At least 200 million just in capital gains, to say nothing of Illinois state tax.

Forbes Business latest estimate was the Sox were worth 1.75 billion but in the event of an unexpected sale by JR they'd go for two billion.

October 8, 1948 - Frank “Trader” Lane was recruited out of the American Association (a Triple-A minor league baseball league) where he was President and took over as the new General Manager of the White Sox. Lane would go on to become one of the greatest G.M.’s in team history. Among the players acquired by Lane, who made over 230 trades in his Sox tenure, were such future All-Stars as Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Billy Pierce, Dick Donovan, “Chico” Carrasquel and “Minnie” Minoso. Lane built the club that would go on to win the pennant in 1959. October 8, 1983 - With the Sox down two games to one in the A.L.C.S. Jerry Dybzinski overran second base after a line drive one hop single by Julio Cruz in the seventh inning of a scoreless game at Comiskey Park in game #4. In the ensuing rundown Vance Law, who was on base in front of Dybzinski, was thrown out trying to score what would have been the go ahead run. The Sox wound up losing the game and the series on a home run by the Orioles Tito Landrum in the 10th inning. The final score was 3-0, spoiling a masterful performance by Sox pitcher Britt Burns who went the distance striking out eight. October 8, 1993 - With the Sox down two games to none in the A.L.C.S. Wilson Alvarez pitched a gem in game #3 and beat the Blue Jays 6-1. The Sox scored five runs in the third inning which gave him some breathing room. The complete game victory was badly needed and gave Sox fans a reason to keep hoping. Alvarez gave up seven hits striking out six. October 8, 2021 – White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was a prime-time player and it showed in his first five postseason games. Anderson got three hits in the White Sox 9-4 game #2 A.L.D.S. loss to the Astros giving him 13 hits in his first five games dating back to the 2020 playoff series against the Athletics. That set the Major League record. The 13 hits also tied the record for the most hits in any five-game span in postseason history. Anderson then added three more hits in the game #3, 12-6 Sox win two days later, giving him 16 in six postseason games, the most ever by a player in a six-game postseason span. Clark

October 7, 2001 - Sox All-Star outfielder Magglio Ordonez became the first player in American League history to have a season with a .300 average, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBI’s and 25 stolen bases. His hit against the Twins in the fourth inning went for his 40th double and the record. October 7, 2005 - At Fenway Park the White Sox won their first post season series of any kind since 1917 by beating Boston 5-3 to sweep the A.L.D.S. in three straight games. Paul Konerko’s two run home run gave the Sox some breathing room and then pitcher Orlando Hernandez saved it. Entering into a bases loaded, no out, one run lead situation in the sixth inning of game #3, “El Duque” got two pop outs and a strike out. It was an amazing performance in a pressure packed situation.

October 6, 1905 - The Sox lost the pennant on the next to last day of the season when pitcher Guy "Doc" White couldn’t beat the bottom feeding St. Louis Browns. White and the Sox lost 6-2 which handed the flag to the Philadelphia Athletics. The Browns scored five runs in the third inning. The Sox would finish the season two games off the pace. That year they had six games declared ties which factored in to the final standings. October 6, 1908 - The Sox lost the pennant on the last day of the season when Ty Cobb and Detroit won the decisive game 7-0. Guy "Doc" White again was the pitcher of record, only this time he may have had an excuse. He was working on two day’s rest having beaten the Tigers 3-1 on October 4. October 6, 1909 - Architect Zachary Taylor Davis submitted his design for a new ballpark on the South Side to owner Charles Comiskey. The concrete and steel structure was considered revolutionary for its time yet only took three and a half months to complete the following year, opening in July 1910. October 6, 1923 – It was his first year on the team and turned out to be his last appearances of the season but future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons had himself an afternoon in Cleveland. The right hander from Texas came in to pitch in the first game of a double header, threw three innings in relief and got the win as the Sox won 6-3 by scoring four times in the ninth inning. Later in the afternoon Lyons came in to pitch again in relief in the second game, tossing a little over four innings and yes, he got the win again as the Sox took the contest 7-6. Lyons threw almost eight innings total. When his career ended in 1946, he’d win 260 games, the most ever for a White Sox pitcher. October 6, 1959 - At the mammoth L.A. Coliseum, which was the temporary home of the Dodgers, the White Sox played small ball in game #5 of the World Series. They beat Sandy Koufax 1-0 to stay alive, cutting L.A.’s lead to three games to two. The only Sox run scored on a double play ground ball but it turned out to be enough. The Sox became the first team in World Series history to have three pitchers combine for the shut out (Bob Shaw, Billy Pierce and Dick Donovan). The game also featured one of the greatest catches in World Series history as “Jungle” Jim Rivera ran a long way and made an over the shoulder catch in the seventh inning with two men on base to save the game robbing Charlie Neal of a potential game winner. Also it was a day game and Rivera somehow located the ball against a murderous background filled with white shirts and white dresses worn by the fans. Alas the Dodgers beat the Sox in game #6 9-3, to win the series four games to two. October 6, 2000 - Another dramatic and fantastic season was ruined as the Sox fell apart and lost the divisional series in three straight games to the Mariners. The M’s clinched the series despite a heroic effort from pitcher James Baldwin. “JB,” pitching with a bad arm, held the Mariners to one run on three hits in six innings of game #3. Seattle scored the series clinching run in the 2-1 win on a suicide squeeze from Carlos Guillen in the ninth inning. Replays showed him clearly out of the batter’s box on the bunt attempt, stepping over home plate, but Sox manager Jerry Manuel never protested the play.

Both may be in good shape because the possibility exists of new ownership.

October 5, 1908 - Sox pitcher “Big” Ed Walsh won his 40th game of the season, as he beat Detroit 6-1. No one has come close to matching it in the ensuing seasons. Walsh led all of MLB in games (66), starts (49), complete games (42), shutouts (11), innings (464) and strikeouts (269). Oh, and he led the majors in saves as well, with six, had that been an official statistic. October 5, 1983 - Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt pitched a brilliant complete game, five-hitter in beating the Orioles 2-1 in game #1 of the A.L.C.S. It was the first time since divisional playoffs started in 1969 that Baltimore ever lost the first game of a post season series. It would be the high-water mark for the Sox in the next week. He struck out four and lost his shutout in the ninth inning on a bloop hit by Cal Ripken Jr. With Ripken on base, Hoyt got the dangerous Eddie Murray to hit a ground ball up the middle, he deflected the ball just enough to slow it down so Scott Fletcher could field it, step on second base, record the force out and end the contest played at Memorial Stadium. October 5, 1993 - Game #1 of the A.L.C.S. was a complete unmitigated disaster both on and off the field for the Sox. On the field, Toronto ripped the Sox 7-3 but by the middle of the game, not one fan cared. Michael Jordan who threw out the ceremonial first pitch confirmed reports that he was holding a press conference the next morning to announce his retirement from the Bulls. Fans at the game and around the city were in shock. Adding insult to injury, future Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and Chicago native and former Sox pitcher Donn Pall were turned away by security guards when they attempted to wish the team good luck in the locker room before the game started. The White Sox claimed the rules were set by Major League Baseball but no fan or media member was fooled by that comment. Most media members felt Fisk was turned away on explicit orders from owner Jerry Reinsdorf. It was an insult Fisk never forgot. Reinsdorf then took an unprecedented step of apologizing to the team in the clubhouse before the start of game #2 saying he had no wish to take away their spotlight because of the Jordan situation. October 5, 2008 - Making the post season for the third time in the decade the Sox were on the brink of elimination in the 2008 A.L.D.S., but behind the strong starting pitching effort from John Danks they beat Tampa Bay 5-3 to survive another day. Danks pitched into the seventh inning of game #3 with seven strikeouts. A three run fourth inning set the tone for the Sox in the game. Dewayne Wise had two RBI’s for the Sox. October 5, 2022 – It was the end to one of the most disappointing seasons in White Sox history. Six years earlier Sox G.M. Rick Hahn started the rebuild with the words that the franchise was “Mired in mediocrity.” After the Twins pounded the Sox 10-1 to end the 2022 campaign the team finished…at 81-81. The very definition of mediocrity. It was only the fifth time in team history the club ended a year exactly at .500. The season was supposed to see the Sox make the postseason for a third straight year and potentially play in the World Series. Instead the team played listless, seemed to have little sense of urgency, couldn’t stay healthy and was saddled with bizarre in-game decisions by manager Tony LaRussa who resigned before the season even ended because of serious health issues. The year marked season 10 under G.M. Hahn whose track record was less than stellar. Seven losing years, two winning ones and a .500 year. The Sox had two playoff appearances but also two quick first round playoff exits under his watch.

Both he and McGuffy thinks TA will rebound and have a good season next year...with another club. Also has some interesting trade ideas since the free agent class is so poor (both feel trading is really the Sox only option and they have to be creative to even do that successfully):

Valid point to be sure but just for discussion sake let's say the four guys are OK offensively...surround them with crap for the other five lineup spots (which is what the Sox had) and the four guys would each have to put up MVP-type numbers for said offense to be any good. Obviously that didn't happen. Sox had way to many automatic outs in the lineup.

The dumpster diving world which what the Sox generally do.

Isn't there a complete section for talking non-Sox baseball? That's where you go to laugh at the Cubs collapse, or talk about the Rangers, Orioles, Cardinals or anybody else in MLB. This section is for talking Sox baseball and you are exactly correct, they are terrible.

Different players have different roles. Guys in the middle of a good batting order are expected to drive in runs, getting on base a lot, and note I said a lot, shouldn't be the primary focus. That's ideally for the numbers 1-2-7-8-9 in a good lineup. Guys hitting 3-4-5-6 should be driving in runs be it with a home run or an extra base hit or getting guys home with less than two outs productively. .

JR is probably going to form his own network with the Bulls and hawks when the NBC Sports Chicago contract ends next year. He'll join organizations like the Yankees/Nets (YES) and the Cubs (Marquee)

Without RBI's, you don't score...without scoring you don't win.

I believe Chuck said that was the only thing he could think off to rationalize why they weren't playing. It was clear from his other comments and demeanor that he felt they should have played.

Jimenez needs to be traded. Guy is an injury waiting to happen and any thought he'll ever have a 35-40 home run season is delusional. Keep Vaughn (for now.)

October 4, 1948 - Chuck Comiskey III was named vice president of the White Sox. He refused to see the team continue to be the laughingstock of the American League and immediately began to take steps to change things on and off the field. Those changes started to bear fruit during the 1951 season as the Sox vaulted into contention in the American League. For the next 17 seasons, through the end of the 1967 campaign, the White Sox produced a winning record and were usually in the running for the pennant winning it in 1959. October 4, 1981 - Jerry Hairston’s grand slam helped beat the Twins 13-12 setting off Bill Veeck’s original exploding scoreboard for the last time. The blast came off future White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. The Sox trailed in the game 12-5 before scoring eight unanswered runs in the final two innings with Hairston driving home the game winner. The victory gave the Sox their first winning year since 1977 at 54-52. The game also marked the end of broadcaster Harry Caray’s association with the Sox after 11 seasons. October 4, 2005 – The White Sox opened the divisional playoffs against the Red Sox at home in U.S. Cellular Field before a capacity crowd…and they did it with a bang, blasting Boston 14-2. The White Sox hit five home runs in the game, an A.L.D.S. record. The home runs were hit by Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe, Scott Podsednik and two by A.J. Pierzynski.

Takes aim at the organization, Grifol and the players who sat out the "fan appreciation" day game Sunday among other topics: