Lip Man 1

Unfortunately JR made it clear at the Getz press conference that "we won't be offering long term deals to pitchers." So you'll continue to get bottom of the barrel types that the Sox hope will rebound. Some times it happens like with Loaiza and Houser it really works out, but far more often it doesn't.

Alexei Ramirez was the same way, sometimes just losing concentration.

He's going to be out for "several weeks" according to the story in the Sun-Times today.

Stone isn't leaving his good friend JR and he left the Cubs on "bad terms" when he was severely critical of the team on air when they were urinating away a wild card spot in the final weeks of the 2004 season if I remember correctly. Dusty Baker publicly went after Stone who didn't appreciate it.

That would have moved up the win total significantly...and still lost 100 or more games. They aren't winning 65 games this year. It's all relative. Like I wrote it would be hard not to improve in a 162 game season where the previous season you only won 41 games. I'm happy the kids have showed something...great. But they are as far away from being a competitive, good organization as the Grand Canyon is wide even with said "improvement." I believe real improvement comes the day Ishbia takes over and JR is no longer connected to the franchise.

It was the "Good guys wear black" ad campaign.

Story today in the Sun-Times said vargas is going to be out "several weeks..." Soft tissue injuries have been killing this franchise for years.

Given the issues those two have had this year I just hope they are competent and not more failed first round Sox picks by 2027

11th time this season the Sox took a lead into the 7th inning or later and lost. Let's just say the bullpen isn't as atrocious as last year but still remains a real work in progress.

Right...they went from 41 wins to maybe 60. If that's moving things "quite a bit" I envy your definition. Is it progress? of course. But it's pretty hard NOT to be better than having the worst single season in the modern era of MLB. How can you NOT be better? Real progress comes when Ishbia takes over, brings in competent people to run the franchise and we can think, with a very reasonable chance of it happening, that the Sox can finish at least, with a winning record, which was usually the case from 1981-2006.

With the upcoming labor impasse he has a perfect excuse not to do so. Getz will spend some money but it isn't going to be on talent that will move the needle much.

That would be interesting but they do have a history with the red edging.

That's what spending a lot of money on good scouts and talent evaluators will get you. JR still hasn't learned that lesson.

I absolutely can. My response was to the poster. I'll remain cautiously optimistic (which is a refreshing change based on the last few weeks) but I'm not going to go overboard until Ishbia takes over and starts spending money like a major market team should.

JR deals with Nightengale on a regular basis. One of the few media types he speaks to.

🤡

September 9, 2003 - With one move Sox manager Jerry Manuel perhaps cost his team a post season playoff berth and eventually led himself to be fired. In a game the Sox were leading Minnesota 8-2 in the ninth inning, Manuel brought in relief pitcher Jose Paniagua to get some work in. The Sox had a one game lead over the Twins and this was the second of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Paniagua allowed four runs giving Minnesota momentum even though they’d lose 8-6. The Twins promptly won the final two games, swept the Sox the following week in Minnesota and won the second of three consecutive divisional titles. Paniagua, as he was leaving the field, made an obscene gesture at home plate umpire Mark Carlson and was released by G.M. Kenny Williams the next day. Manuel’s dismissal would come a few weeks later. There has always been debate over the impact of this incident in the divisional race but Twins players have been quoted as saying it was a difference maker.

Considering Bruce Levine probably doesn't even know what day of the week it is, I'd take anything he thinks or says with a large bag of salt. But Fox is right, they have to pick up his option now or look like bigger idiots than they already are.

Congratulations to the Sox for matching last years win total of 41 games. Could this be a repeat of what happened after the All-Star Break in 1989?

He's one of the very few media types that JR has directly spoken to in the past for whatever that may be worth.

They can't catch the ball that's for sure.

Valid point. Just another reason for them to start acting like a major market club.

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave..."

Sox Machine looks at both sides from their newsletter: Luis Robert Jr.: Trade Deadline Survivor The trade deadline came and went on Thursday, and the White Sox were less active than expected. They traded Austin Slater to the Yankees and Adrian Houser to the Rays, getting what appear to be appropriate returns for impending free agents with specific skill sets and/or limited track records, but the period was most defined by who wasn’t traded: one Luis Robert Jr. In the days leading up to the deadline, Chris Getz reiterated that he wasn’t marketing Robert as a rental. After the deadline passed and Robert remained with the White Sox, Getz stopped short of guaranteeing the exercising of Robert’s $20 million option for 2026, but he did say, “We anticipate him being here, we do.” Getz’s decision makes the White Sox’s final two months fascinating in terms of settling the argument. Robert is one of the biggest reasons the White Sox have started the second half 8-4, as he’s hitting .406/.500/.594 with standout defense in center field. If the White Sox feel better baseball is sustainable — and with the free agent market for center fielders slim pickings — then trading Robert for whatever they could get might be an individually sensible economic decision, but serve little purpose with regards to the bigger picture. The counterpoint: It’s eminently realistic that Robert gets hurt again, or otherwise goes into a tailspin that makes the $20 million option impossible to absorb. The White Sox feel like that’s a chance worth taking, and we’ll be tracking this decision to see which side of the debate wins out.

This is one time you can't argue with his comments.