Lip Man 1

JR is very happy tonight as the Sox payroll is hitting ridiculous lows. That being said Robert needed to go (a few years ago in fact...)

Get set for a long lockout potentially a lot of games missed in 2027: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6986854/2026/01/20/mlb-owners-salary-cap-push-dodgers-kyle-tucker/?campaign=16554845&source=athletic_breaking_targeted_email&userId=602876

January 20, 1965 - Another big deal pulled off by Sox G.M. Ed Short which kept the franchise’s streak of winning seasons going. The Sox were part of a three-team trade with the Indians and Athletics. When all was said and done, the Sox parted with outfielders Jim Landis and Mike Hershberger, pitcher Fred Talbot and catcher Cam Carreon. In return they got back power hitting catcher John “Honey” Romano, pitcher Tommy John and outfielder Tommie Agee. Agee would be named Rookie of the Year in 1966 becoming the first Sox player ever with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. John would be part of the Sox brilliant starting rotation, making the All-Star team for the first time in 1968. He’d win 82 games in seven years, three times posting an ERA of under three. His trade to the Dodgers at the winter meetings in 1971 netted the Sox Dick Allen. Romano wasn’t a slouch either in his second stint with the club, banging out 33 home runs in two seasons before being traded. Romano originally came up in the White Sox system and played in 53 games during the 1959 pennant winning season. January 20, 1984 - Once again Sox G.M. Roland Hemond used the free agent compensation rule to the White Sox advantage, plucking future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver from the Mets. In his two full years with the Sox, Seaver would win 31 games, including his 300th one overall on August 4, 1985 against the Yankees. Earlier that same season he started his 14th opening day on the mound, a big-league record. In both full seasons he’d also throw over 236 innings, averaging 132 strikeouts and have an ERA both times under four. In 1985 his ERA was 3.17. Tom had to be convinced to join the Sox. It took co-owners Eddie Einhorn and Jerry Reinsdorf going to his hotel room at the winter meetings after they selected him to talk with him face to face before he agreed…. but, before Seaver let them in, he asked to see their ID’s since he had never met them before!

Try this one then which looks into the cap situation and how the bears may have to replace/revamp almost the entire defensive secondary: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/whats-next-for-bears-nfl-playoffs-offseason-caleb-williams/

This is a spot-on realistic look at the Bears season and what they have to do this off season for next year to prevent a regression: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/01/19/bears-rams-bemoan-missed-opportunity-cole-kmet-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-offseason-improvment-nfl-very-wishful-thinking

My complete interview with Wilbur from 2005: https://www.southsidesox.com/chicago-white-sox-history/119553/flashback-a-conversation-with-wilbur-wood

A part of a long interview I did with Wilbur in 2005: ML: The White Sox fell on miserable times in the late 60's and 1970. I think they lost more games in that three-year period than at any other time in franchise history. The Sox lost 106 games in 1970 alone, it had to be agony going to the park every day. I don’t know how you guys kept your sanity! WW: “It was awful. I’ll tell you how bad it was. The only games that I ever wanted to come into were games where I could pick up a save. I never wanted to go into games where the score was tied because I knew and everybody on the team knew, that we’d find some way to lose the game. We had no chance. The pitchers knew it and the position players knew it.” ML: Your teammate Joe Horlen told me about his 1971 spring training injury which caused him to miss most of the season. But that’s only half of the story because as a direct result of his injury, Chuck Tanner began considering the option of making you a starting pitcher. I have heard you were against the move but for the sake of the team decided to give it a try. Why the initial opposition? WW: “That was a strange situation because even before the injury I was almost traded. It’s true...the Sox had a deal in place with Washington. I was going to be traded for Darold Knowles. But I was holding out that year, I was fighting for more money and I never signed a contract. So the trade was null and void. It was pretty apparent that Chuck (Tanner) didn’t want me in the bullpen. He wanted hard throwing guys and we had players like Terry Forster and “Goose” Gossage coming up so I became a starter. Roland Hemond said this one time and it’s true, “Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.”

January 19, 1909 - Sox owner Charles Comiskey purchased a piece of land on the corner of 35th and Shields from Roxanna Bowen. The site would be used to build the original Comiskey Park on, starting in March 1910. In only four months the steel and concrete stadium would be opened and ready for use. January 19, 1972 - Early Wynn, who helped the White Sox to the 1959 pennant, was elected to the Hall of Fame with 76 per cent of the vote. Wynn made it on his fourth ballot, slowly working his way up the vote count before crossing the 75 per cent threshold. He’d win exactly 300 games in his long career and in 1959 the year the White Sox won the pennant, he captured the Cy Young Award on the basis of 22 wins, an ERA of 3.17 and over 255 innings pitched. He played five years with the club winning 64 games.

Sox Machine with a nice recap of Wood's career: https://soxmachine.com/2026/01/wilbur-woods-workload-will-continue-to-astound By the way it's embarrassing that the Sox own website has a very generic story on him written by someone who only gives the basics of his career very little insight. And the Sun-Times is even worse, story written by someone who clearly knows very little about him.

The Tribune's Brad Biggs 10 points from the game has a terrific and honest look at the entire Bears stadium situation. It is point 10 in his long story: "Here’s what I know: There has been frustration at Halas Hall that the stadium project has not already started. There’s more optimism inside the building than there has been for some time that actual progress might not be far off. Here’s what I think: Indiana is moving quickly because the best chance the Hoosier state has is to play ball and prove the obstacles to a stadium in Illinois do not exist across the border. The Bears, whose leadership and lobbyists haven’t been savvy enough to get traction in Springfield on their own, are now going to use maximum leverage on folks in Illinois. “This is not about leverage,” President/CEO Kevin Warren wrote in a letter to fans last month. Phooey." He writes a lot more about the situation: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/chicago-bears-brad-biggs-10-thoughts-rams-playoffs/

This is a well done story on the Dodgers and the upcoming labor situation: "The league needs a system that further incentivizes the low-payroll teams to spend. Give them more money, but force them to spend it on players. That sounds great in theory, but if owners raise the floor, they will want to lower the ceiling. That is a salary cap, and there’s no indication it will ever happen. The players stood firm against a cap in 1994, striking that August before the owners could unilaterally impose one. The standoff cancelled the World Series and delayed the next season. The lesson: insisting on a salary cap is a warhead so dangerous it should never be deployed again. You can’t win a war by destroying the planet." https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6981877/2026/01/19/los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-free-agency-economics/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=602876&source=dailyemail

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6982047/2026/01/18/wilbur-wood-knuckleball-white-sox-death/?source=athletic_thewindup_newsletter&campaign=16499593&userId=602876

For many years the Sox had a Hall of Fame located in the stadium I think it was by the home plate area, perhaps someone can correct me on this. I know when the stadium renovations took place it was removed. I don't know what became of it.

Again that another luck situation. How many times can you keep expecting to force 2-3-4 turnovers a game like they did this year which is why bringing in some game wreckers on defense has to be a priority this off season.

Fluke injury, it happens. Williams can also get hurt anytime he steps on the field. You have to measure that against the number of times in critical situations when you can't convert on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1.

Williams converted two short yardage situations tonight on his own. He's more than big and strong enough. He's got better odds doing that then pitching the ball back to a running back five yards behind the line of scrimmage. (as was shown tonight as well)

When you come from behind eight times including tonight in the last 2:00 minutes of a game to win or tie, that's a lot of luck involved. Something like that you'd expect to happen once or twice. Eight times? That defies the law of averages, which is why it's never happened before in the history of the NFL.

It's called Tush Push, why don't the Bears use it?

Well...you can't keep relying on luck to bail you out and it finally caught up with them. So be it. They had an impressive season but they aren't close to being a championship contender yet. What do they need to do next to move closer to that goal? Just my opinion: 1A. Williams has to stay healthy and keep progressing. he made some big mistakes tonight but it was his first playoff experience. 1B. The Bears have to beg, borrow, steal, trade draft picks, sign free agents whatever they need to do and bring in some game wreckers on defense. Period. Guys opponents have to specifically game plan for (and fear). The defense played out of their minds tonight but that hasn't been the case for most of the season. Again you can't keep expecting to force 2-3 turnovers a game. 2. I think part of the reason Johnson doesn't go for field goals much is because Santos isn't capable of kicking home 55-60 yarders regularly. He doesn't have the leg for it. Go out and kind a kicker who can. They seem to be all over the place expect in Chicago. It will be an interesting off season.

I actually find it funny that the Bears are one of the few teams in the league that refuses to run the Tush Push. If I was in the media that's the first question I'd ask Johnson. Embarrassing to have four times either 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 and they get blown up every time.

It's amazing how stupid players can be. Totally unnecessary. If those automatic three points costs them the game his ass should be cut the minute he returned to the locker room when it was all over. Teams don't need idiots...and he's definitely one.

One of the best and a part of three noteworthy White Sox teams. The 1967, 1972 and 1977 groups. A record setting relief pitcher before he became a record setting starter. Had the chance to interview him in 2005. Very nice guy. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/18/wilbur-wood-chicago-white-sox-obit/

And both are a lot 'baseball-smarter' than Sosa. That's for sure.

January 18, 1952 - Chuck Comiskey III, namesake and grandson of White Sox founder Charles Comiskey, resigned from the club after his mother, White Sox owner (and Charles’ daughter-in-law) Grace Comiskey, denied his request for a raise. Thus began an almost decade-long family drama, played out mostly in public. Some bullet-point highlights: Chuck returned to the club relatively soon after resigning, eventually in 1956 becoming co-general manager of the White Sox with John Rigney. Rigney was married to Chuck’s sister, Dorothy Comiskey, and if co-general managing a Major League team doesn’t sound difficult enough, imagine how hard it is when ... Chuck’s mother Grace passed away in December 1956 and left controlling interest in the White Sox (which Chuck long considered his birthright) to his sister (54%), leaving him with 46%. Beginning in 1957, Chuck took his sister to court, presumably to at least have his mother’s shares evenly shared between he and Dorothy — court proceedings that played out in nasty fashion and led to Chuck being derided as the entitled “Crown Prince” of the White Sox. Despite all of the rancor, Dorothy still preferred to sell her shares to Chuck — but Chuck (believing Dorothy would never sell outside of the Comiskey family) gave Dorothy a lowball offer for her shares. Enter Bill Veeck (who Chuck had a friendly rivalry with, as Veeck’s Cleveland club and the White Sox were fierce competitors in the 1950s), who submitted a bid for the team that Dorothy reluctantly considered. Chuck’s later offer for the White Sox, backed by a group including eventual A’s owner Charlie Finley, was higher than Veeck’s — but Veeck had spent 100 dollars for a 60-day window to raise additional funds to match the offer With Veeck taking over the team in early 1959, Chuck retained his 46% ownership in the club (still the biggest individual stockholder) but lost his G.M. job When a downturn in Veeck’s health forced him to sell the White Sox in 1961, Chuck sold his shares to an investment group including William Bartholomay and entertainer Danny Thomas, with an eye toward being reinstalled as the de facto owner of the White Sox upon the sale, but Veeck — not particularly fond of the Crown Prince or seduced by the Comiskey name — sold instead to Art Allyn, putting the Comiskey’s out of White Sox business for the first time in 62 years

When you beat odds of say 1,000-1 to get to be an elite athlete, or elite doctor or elite lawyer or elite broadcaster you should collect big.